


The Other Ancient

by KeepCalm97



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Twins, Attempt at Humor, Blood and Torture, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2020-12-22 20:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21082880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeepCalm97/pseuds/KeepCalm97
Summary: Autumn just wanted to make things better; to have her and her sister feel what freedom was like. But, in the long run, she had no idea what she'd gotten herself into in order to achieve that goal. The price of freedom was steep, indeed.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm reuploading this from fanfiction.net with revisions and editing done! Hope you enjoy :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prologue of how Autumn Gainsborough became Sakura Gains and entered the SOLDIER program for her own personal goals.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. All rights go to Square Enix.**

_"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"_-Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Sakura Gains wasn't the first alias name that came to mind, but it was one I felt fit whenever I said it aloud to Master.

In my own opinion, I thought it was pretty clever: take the name meaning cherry blossom in Wutaian and combine it with an abbreviated version of my surname, and boom! Instant alternate identity.

Commander Jennings, my C.O., was the only kind instructor I got. My presence as one of the few females in the military angered the boys. My instructors were sadists and punished me whenever I made the slightest mistake.

I made many, so it wasn't exactly happy fun times. Sarrel Oakens, Tyler Walker, and Jason Chambers decided to befriend me, even though I didn't want to. They came in handy, as it turned out. But I made it a rule not to get too attached to anyone in Shinra. It's complicated, blah blah blah.

To prove myself to everyone else and because I was desperate for some way to get into SOLDIER at that point, I took it upon myself to investigate a monster outbreak in Junon during Christmas break.

The wind carried the scent of saltwater - something I had only smelled a couple of other times. The streets were vacant, but the many buildings placed right up against each other had clear glass windows emanating light from inside.

Junon was huge. About as big as Midgar with at least eight levels. Needless to say, I got lost a few times and almost got hit by a silver truck eager to turn.

But I didn't know how bad the situation was until my phone rang when I was strolling down the streets, literally looking for trouble.

Tyler called me with panic in his voice, begging me to leave Junon immediately. But the followers of a mass-murderer on the prowl already found me. I fought them with everything I had and managed to cut down their numbers by half when a SOLDIER 3rd Class came to my rescue.

I (stupidly) took on Harvey, their leader. He was at least a whole head taller than me, totally shredded, and armed with a sword bigger than my whole body.

Sometimes I really questioned my mental state.

_'Stay calm... deep breaths...' _I told myself in an effort to remain focused.

Harvey's eyes narrowed. "You know, not a lot of people fight left-handed except the General himself."

I frowned. "How would you know? I know at least three SOLDIERs that are left-handed, thank you very much. Us lefties aren't _that_ rare."

Harvey charged forward at a speed that was surprising for a mere normal human with no military background. I stepped aside, using a back kick to make him stumble forward.

He spun around, slashing ferociously at me while I blocked. Seeing his legs unguarded, I took the opportunity to sidekick his right shin. He stepped back, grunting in pain.

Noting his sword was lowering I used a butterfly kick to knock it out of his hands and kick him in the face. He lost his balance and fell to his knees, but then grabbed his sword again and got back up.

"I... won't go down... so easy."

I shifted into a defensive stance. "Oh, good. Okay."

Harvey stared at me strangely, which only made me feel even more stupid.

_'Great job brain! 'Good'? 'Okay'?! Ugh, I'm so dumb. Y'know what, I'll chalk it up to the adrenaline rush and getting my butt whooped.'_

I was starting to tire. Harvey knew it. He managed to kick and punch me a few times, carving some really deep scratches into my upper arms and my sides from his sword he retrieved. Each time I narrowly avoided getting a body part cut off I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.

My stamina might've improved from punishments, but fighting for such a long period of time wasn't something I'd mastered yet. And I was only thirteen. I wasn't exactly a powerhouse.

He threw a thrust at me, followed by a powerful lunge that forced me to counter. I could feel my arms trembling underneath the heavy pressure I was trying to keep at bay and my feet slid back a bit. I noticed, beneath the sparks from our clashing blades, a crack forming in my sword.

_'Crap, this isn't looking too good,'_ I thought grimly, front kicking his stomach. It didn't really seem to affect him but drew away from his attention long enough for me to jump back.

Harvey smirked. "Looks like you're runnin outta juice little girl."

Panting, I tried to pump myself up. "Yeah, well, I'm not dead yet."

_'Great comeback, me.'_

"No, but soon you will be!" he exclaimed before charging at me.

Exhausted, I was too slow to dodge an incoming slash, resulting in an extended cut on my left arm. I cried out as the searing pain exploded up and down. Blood trickled down my arm in rivulets.

My opponent laughed, blowing me back with a sidekick to my stomach.

It knocked the wind out of me, leaving me to try to fill my lungs back up while gasping for breath. It burned so much; like I was suffocating to death. I was also writhing in pain because he harshly hit my broken ribs, pain bursting inside me. Oh Gaia, just make it stop!

I couldn't stop the whimpers from escaping me, tears burning my eyes. Harvey slammed his right foot down to hit the ground, as I managed to roll out in time.

I struggled to reach my sword, which dropped because of my cuts, but Harvey kicked it away from me.

Jerk.

I glared at him and the deadly blade inches from my face.

"Who's high and mighty now, little girl?"

"Bravo, you beat a thirteen-year-old girl. 'Cause that really shows how big and strong you are," I spat, with his response being a kick in the head.

That caused me to blackout. When I came to I realized I was in a chopper with Angeal Hewley and his pupil, Zack Fair. I didn't take a liking to him much; he was annoying and instantly put on a charming facade to try and woo me.

General Sephiroth and Commander Genesis were present too, though I had no idea in my deep slumber. They'd taken Harvey and his rebels away to prison for life.

And thanks to my little stunt, Angeal wanted to see what I could do. He said something about my potential, but I was too shocked by what else he told me to pay attention to it.

If I demonstrated my skills and manage to impress him, he'd recommend me for SOLDIER to the Director. Needless to say, I eagerly accepted.

First I was pitted against Zack, who for lack of a better word, sucked. It was obvious he was a newly promoted 2nd because even though his fighting skills were better than mine and he had a few strategies up his sleeves, all it took was a little taunting and sticking out my foot to get him on the floor.

Angeal complimented me on my performance and then sent out my next opponent: Genesis Rhapsodos.

I, for one, was terrified. I'd heard of his legendary temper and tendency to burn things whenever he got even the slightest bit irritated, so for a while there I was just running away from him trying to stay alive.

When I realized that he wasn't totally bent on killing me, I gained enough confidence to start sparring with him.

He was so rude, I just couldn't keep myself from teasing him and getting him annoyed. I should've known better, considering he started putting some actual effort into our fight, but my big mouth - as usual - beat me to it.

Then I insulted LOVELESS.

I'd really had enough of him at that point, but as soon as that raging fire ignited in his eyes I'd started screaming and running away from powerful blasts of Firaga. When he'd gotten me pinned on the floor he demanded I take it back, but for some reason, I just blew a raspberry at his face. I never said I made the smartest decisions.

Angeal had to tear his friend off of me and act as a peacemaker between us.

I said that he was an "annoying spoiled prince that had enough anger issues to warrant a psychiatrist for life", and he called me a "brat that had a big mouth needing shutting".

We were still bickering when Angeal shoved us out the door. He and Sephiroth managed to persuade the Director into allowing me to become a member of SOLDIER after a few hours of convincing.

Next were my mako enhancements and injections. When I found out I was going to have an appointment with Hojo, I quickly requested they get someone else to handle such delicate procedures.

When I was asked why, I answered truthfully he was a stereotypical mad scientist who would probably jump at the chance to rewrite my genetic coding or something, and that he was hands-down the creepiest man I'd ever come across.

Sha-bam, new scientist to overlook my procedures. If everyone thought that way about him, though, it made me wonder why he even still had a job.

The entire process of enhancements and mako treatments, by the way, was not a fun process.

The mako injections, surgeries, and showers took away my rich coffee brown eyes, replacing them with glowing sapphire. My insides burned and ached when I moved even an inch. My blood became liquid fire. I stayed in bed for what felt like months.

Later I found out it actually did take months.

My mind was a wreck. Memories flashed by, no matter if they were welcome or convenient or not. Many were of my family and my time in the labs. But sometimes it would go to my time in Nibelheim.

A few months more, and I was back on my feet. My mentor was 1st Class Riley Jones, though sometime later he said he couldn't teach me anymore, so they assigned me to none other than Angeal Hewley himself. I became Zack's partner by force, to my dislike. The higher-ups said I could be a great influence on him. Then my promotion to 2nd Class came, and from then on everything changed.

Zack and I became closer, unfortunately, due to his persistence. We were practically friends after a couple of years. Keeping my identity a secret became a larger issue than I imagined, and eventually, both Angeal and Zack knew something was up. I ended up telling them my real first name and begged them to keep it a secret to everyone else for personal reasons.

Miraculously, I'd gained enough of their trust for them to not find me suspicious and they agreed.

I was digging a hole so deep I wasn't sure I could even crawl out of it. I was supposed to remain closed-off to everyone, not make any friends, and go solo until I became a 1st to nab whatever info I could get my hands on about my heritage.

Little did I know that obtaining the information and keeping my identity a secret would be the least of my worries and that I would never be the same again.


	2. Simulations Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn and Zack start their training simulation missions under the watchful eye of their mentor Angeal, but even then not everything goes to plan.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. All rights go to Square Enix.**

_"If you don't have a dream, there is no way to make one come true." _-Steven Tyler

* * *

**Zack**

Riding in the chopper with only the pilot as company was normal, to say the least. The simulation testing him was a replicated Midgar. The massive plates with various roadways and crammed-full of buildings appeared so genuine sometimes he forgot it was fake.

Even the choking smog and thick grey clouds were on-point. The heavily polluted air with numberless fluorescent lights from the city prevented him from barely glimpsing any stars even though it was nighttime.

He was so eager to get out there and kick ass! The soldiers wouldn't even know what hit 'em!

It took doing over a hundred squats _and_ pushups just to knock down his excitement.

When the exasperated pilot gave him the all-clear, he happily saluted him (though he was quite fed up with his boundless energy and told him to get serious) and dived out of the 'copter, heading straight for the train he was rapidly approaching.

Zack landed on the rooftop of one of the cars perfectly, crouching deeply to absorb the impact. He spotted some of the Wutai troops up ahead with his enhanced vision, confused to see them in Shinra attire.

"Zack."

He stood up, proud of his dramatic entrance when he heard the deep voice of his mentor clearly.

"Zack, focus!"

The ravenette whipped around to face a stoic Angeal. He immediately sobered, capping the lid on his overflowing energy to listen to his mentor.

"There are no Shinra troops on this train. Understood?"

He grinned, lightly punched his open palm with his other hand. Another figure descended from above, landing with a 'thud' on the train behind Angeal, the intense winds from the speed of the train whipping her dark hair into her masked oval face.

"I would've stayed in the chopper, but 'Geal said I had to follow; something about not trusting me heading off on my own to complete the mission for you. Not that I would; if anything you'd _beg_ me to help you out and I'd take pity on you," she remarked, her tone full of smugness.

Zack pouted at the short, masked teen girl dressed in the standard maroon 2nd Class outfit. Her glowing sapphire eyes gleamed in the shadows of the bridge they passed under.

"That's _so_ not true!"

"You want me to make you watch the footage from the last session? Angeal already knows about it and how you kept bugging me to _please_ help you get past the second stage!" she snickered.

Just as the ravenette opened his mouth to spit out a retort, Angeal sighed heavily.

"_Zack_. And Sakura, knock it off."

"Fine..."

"Right, right. Gotta go!"

_'I got this, I've totally got this! I'll show her just how much better I've gotten! Besides, who's she to talk? What about that time a hoard of Bizarre Bugs ambushed her and she screamed and ran behind me?!' _The 2nd thought a bit begrudgingly as he sprinted up the train cars.

Though he did get a good laugh out of it. He'd never thought she was so terrified of bugs after going up against an enraged Genesis. That should've certainly made the top of the fear list considering Genesis's short fuse, and when it ignited it usually ended with something spontaneously combusting.

Suddenly, bullets shot out from the next train car he landed on. He almost slipped as he danced around in a frenzy, eventually losing his balance to fall forward, his hands slamming against the metal and nearly losing one of them from the final bullet.

"Hello to you too!"

He only had a few seconds before they reloaded, so he hopped back onto his feet, continuing to race across the cars with flurries of lead nipping at his heels. Zack leaped over a low beam, soon spotting another group of Wutai soldiers advancing toward him.

He grinned, swiftly drawing his sword off his back. "Come and get it!"

Without blinking, he darted toward the soldiers, knocking away the occasional shots that got in his path and cut them down with a twirl and two swings, leaping up to land with a vertical swipe to take out the rest.

Grinning at his victory, he didn't even register the new sprays of bullets up ahead.

He ran forward again, cutting down more soldiers and leaping over others to cut down the ones hiding. Then he spotted the ones with the bazookas.

_"Awww, crap."_

Since there was no dodging that, Zack looked around for an alternative, glancing up to catch an opening he was confident he could jump through.

With a deep crouch, he shot up into the air and out of the line of fire. For once, he remained focused on getting past the aligned structured beams instead of the gaping soldiers. Once he shot out of the structures, he drew his sword again and flipped about in the air.

"SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack, on the job!" he declared, descending to stab the train coupling.

He jumped up onto the train car still connected with the locomotive, sheathing his sword after a dramatic flourish. A few minutes later, the train pulled into the station, prompting Zack to handspring off the roof and safely land.

The ravenette smirked, proud of his accomplishment. _"There's no way I can fail this mission!"_

Alas, even when it's in his head, those were typically the doom words for the 2nd.

* * *

**Autumn**

She stood beside Angeal on the train, wondering if they would ever jump off. Sitting around was _so boring_.

"Sooo... when do I get a turn?"

"Soon," her mentor answered cryptically over the loud rushing winds.

"When is soon?"

"Not now. We need to get to the surveillance spot," Angeal replied bluntly, glancing up at an approaching chopper, "There's our ride."

The 2nd Class rolled her eyes, a frown outlining her mask. "That's so descriptive."

Her mentor smirked, amused by her bored expression. "When I say it's time, it's time. That's the only description you'll get."

After boarding the chopper and getting dropped off at the spot he previously referred to, Autumn continued trying to goad him into letting her take on the mission.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, pleeeeaassseee-"

Angeal sighed, feeling himself starting to cave to his prized student. Autumn knew it, too. "Just let me make a phone call and monitor Zack's progress a little."

"YES!" She cheered, pumping her fists into the air.

"Don't make me regret this," Angeal warned, his demeanor serious.

She grinned, sending him a thumbs-up. "No prob! I promise I won't get killed by a hologram!"

After calling Zack and watching his progress, Angeal called him again after he defeated an incoming wave of soldiers. Autumn winced, watching as bullets zoomed past his skin by mere inches.

"Not too bad," he admitted.

_"Piece of cake! I'll make 1st in no time!" _Zack boasted over the phone, which switched to speaker so Autumn could hear.

"I wouldn't bet on it! Getting grazed by so many bullets is mostly due to pure luck, and with your cockiness, you wouldn't last a minute." Autumn retorted in a cold manner.

_"Hey! I am not cocky!"_

"Are too."

_"Am not!"_

"Are too."

"Go up the stairs at the end of the platform." Angeal directed, breaking up the ensuing bickering.

_"You got it!"_

Angeal turned to the brunette beside him once he pocketed his phone. "Now, I think it's time you had your turn."

Autumn instantly perked up, excitement entering her eyes. "Really!?"

He chuckled a little. "Yes, really. I'll be monitoring both yours and Zack's progress, but to make my life easier, just be extremely cautious and don't throw yourself into dangerous situations."

She snorted. "Of course I won't. That's Zack's job."

Angeal smiled a little. "Right - go on, then. Before I change my mind."

Autumn gave him a mock-salute, her grin obvious even under her mask. "Yes, sir! Tell Zack not to make a fool of himself!"

Dashing out of the room, she nearly ran over another SOLDIER in her haste.

"Ah, my bad, I wasn't watching where I was-" Looking up, she gazed into the glowing irises of her surprised friend. "Kunsel? Sorry about nearly knocking you down, I was getting antsy."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. Zack's _actually_ knocked me over, so it's no big deal. Where you headed?"

"Training simulation, gotta run! I need to beat Zack!" the brunette speedily replied, rushing past him into the training room next door.

She snatched a pair of simulation goggles and punched in some keys at the side before the room transformed into Midgar.

Autumn smirked. "Time to show what I'm made of!"

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

I continued through the exact same mission as Zack, liberating the train and fighting the solders both on the cars and on the ground. I was pretty proud of myself so far; I had Zack beat by at least ten minutes.

Instead of wasting my energy with direct combat, I used little tricks like pushing some off the train after casting Barrier (yes, it's horrible, but in my defense, they were just holograms), or moving into their line of fire while dodging so they would be firing at each other.

When they caught on, a roundhouse kick sent one to the ground and a reverse punch had another quickly follow. I used a sweep kick to knock the remaining three onto their backs, performing a final kick to knock them out.

I started running again when my cell beeped.

_"Nice work_ _."_

"I learn from the best." I grinned, pleased by his comment.

Angeal chuckled a little from the other end. _"Continue on, then. I trust you know where to go?"_

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be a SOLDIER."

I'd already passed the stairs leading up from the station to Sector 8, frowning at the sight of everyone else clambering down in a panic.

Well, this was gonna be fun. Hopefully, it wasn't a summon creature. For some reason whoever monitored and created the simulations found it fun to throw them into the mix at times, much to our irritation.

I skidded to a stop at the creature before me: a Behemoth. And a very angry one to boot.

Okay, as much as I wanted to impress Angeal by taking this slightly intimidating beast down with just my fists, I definitely wasn't gonna come out of it unscathed if I did. And I needed to go as fast as possible to beat Zack.

So I drew my sword and made sure I cast another Barrier spell on myself before approaching the monster, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights when it finally noticed me.

Instantly it charged, forcing me to roll out of the way.

I looked at it while it paused for a moment to turn for any openings, spotting a large bruise on its right side.

"Got you."

Charging forward, my blade made contact with the injured side as blood seeped from the wound. The Behemoth let out a deafening cry, trying to reach me using its spiked tail and razor-sharp claws.

I think all I did was piss it off. Way to go, Autumn, just pat yourself on the back for that one.

"Screw this!"

I concentrated on the materia I put in my right arm, feeling the familiar tingling sensation of magic growing around my hand. Granted, I had to concentrate while running for my life from the Behemoth that was blindly attacking me out of rage, but I'd say I was doing pretty well. Casting Blizzara earned me some time as I shot my hand out, causing a giant block of ice to solidify right above the Behemoth's head.

"Okay, okay... its affinities are with pretty much all element materia, and it's immune to Poison, so that's out. Ugh, I'd rather get a summon. At least they aren't immune to all of the elements!" I groaned, close to just slamming my head against the nearby wall.

"Time to switch gears."

I didn't have any enemy skill materia equipped, so I just had to deal with battling it out physically. I decided to try a risky move and skidded to a stop. I crouched and turned to sweep my blade low with both hands, inflicting a deep gash into one of its front legs.

The Behemoth crashed to the ground, collapsing from its useless leg. Sprinting over, I hacked at its other limbs to keep it from getting back up, and then stabbed its neck and ran my blade across.

Blood gushed everywhere - even though it wasn't real blood - as it let out a gurgling howl and then slumped over, slowly dying. I grimaced at the gory scene.

"Even if you _are_ a simulation, that definitely wasn't the best way to go. Oh well, gotta keep-"

I tightened my grip on the handle of my broadsword when I sensed a blade behind me.

"Lingering when the battle is over is foolish. Your sympathy will be your downfall."

Even though I swore the voice was strikingly familiar, my big mouth moved faster than my stupid brain. "Yeah? Better than being an emotionless robot!"

I spun around to hit the other sword away. My jaw dropped when I saw who it was. "Sephiroth?! Wha-why're you here?"

Chills traveled down my spine while gazing into the cold cyan eyes before me. I really, _really_ didn't want to fight the god of a General who was actually my friend in real life.

As far as I knew, he wasn't supposed to be in the simulation. Was it an error in the system? I was gonna kill whoever was responsible if I survived this!

The virtualized Sephiroth said nothing - though he looked peeved - and attempted to stab me with the Masamune. I parried his blows with my sword, using a few seconds to materialize a Firaga spell to buy me more time. Sephiroth was unfazed, as I expected him to be.

I feinted from the left to use a side swing from behind. Sadly, Sephy anticipated this attack, bringing the Masamune down to block.

"I would _seriously LOVE_ to switch you out for a summon right now instead. How about it? You can just sit back and watch the show while I take on Ifrit?"

All I got was more pushing back from the General. Clearly, he wasn't too fond of the idea.

"Okay, maybe not."

I used a roundhouse kick to divert his attention and then perform a spin kick, which was caught. "Aw shi-"

My cursing was cut off when I was nearly thrown into a wall if I hadn't twisted my body to bring myself back to the ground in a deep crouch.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said! I swear! Not totally, anyway! Can't we just let this slide?" I pleaded, but it just egged him on further.

A few seconds later and Sephiroth was trying to kill me again, with me resisting the urge to just scream and run for my life like a sane person.

_"Come on, Autumn, think!"_

In my head, an idea clicked into place. I was nearing a limit break anyways, so I cast Thundaga three times to hit Sephy, with one actually nicking his arm, but he paid it no mind.

I glowed a light purple, causing me to smile. After sheathing my sword, I leaped up into the air. A bright light gathered rapidly in my hands, immobilizing the renowned 1st in a bind of the light.

Raising my hands skyward, I concentrated on finalizing the mass of bright energy that was forming. I shot my hands down toward Sephiroth, aiming a gigantic beam of the energy to slam down, hitting him straight on. I called it Sanctuary as an ironic twist.

The downside was that the limit break required a crap ton of magical energy as well as physical energy, so I used it as a last resort. Fighting Sephiroth, however, forced my hand.

I already felt sluggish from the limit break, so in a moment of desperation, I cast Haste, ignoring the fact my magic was nearly depleted. I could probably only cast one more time.

Before I could even twitch, blade beams shot out from the dust cloud that formed, nearly slicing my left arm off in the process. Blood spurted from my arm, the warm liquid trailing down from my bicep.

"Oh, crap!" I gasped, using a blast of Firaga to propel me back to the ground before Sephy could catch up with me.

Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back, don't look-

I looked back. And nearly screamed when I realized that Sephiroth was closing in on me fast.

_'Okay, okay... fight the panic! Don't lose all sense! Clear the mind, keep focusing! Counter... now!'_

I spun mid-air to clash with the Masamune, shoving the silver-haired General away from me long enough to safely land. A second passed until I once again entered combat.

I tried coming up with some sort of plan, only thinking of using another limit break which I was far from obtaining. So I delved into my magic reserves again and cast Thundaga again, the currents traveling from the Masamune to its wielder.

Sephiroth was already terribly singed and burnt from Sanctuary judging by the welts on his exposed chest and the tattered ends of his cloak. The sleeves on his coat were burnt up, revealing his toned arms. I was starting to see spots from forcefully casting even when my reserves were depleted and the blood loss from my arm.

Thundaga seemed to stun him for the moment, so I brought my sword up to aim for his right side that was unprotected. I was beyond shocked when the blade actually made contact with his side, cutting through what remained of his leather trenchcoat as well as his skin.

When I glanced at his face I saw that he was beyond furious behind the coldness of his catlike eyes.

"Sorry, nothing personal! I'm just trying to survive!" I smiled nervously, shoving the contents of an Ether down my throat to squeeze in a Firaga spell before fleeing for my life.

I couldn't do it anymore. The cut on my arm was deep and bleeding profusely, Sephiroth would cut me down in an instant if I continued, I was low on magic, and the Haste spell was wearing off. I knew when I was beaten.

"Leaving so soon? I thought you were an honorable SOLDIER, just like your mentor." Sephiroth taunted, chasing after me.

"AAAAHHH!"

Sorry Sephy, busy running for my life while fighting the urge to drop my sword and grab my wound! Honor means nothing to me right now!

When he caught up with me we locked blades again. I snatched his wrist in an effort to use a reverse kick, but he flung me through the air so hard and fast I couldn't prevent myself from crashing into a wall and getting the wind knocked out of me.

Holy crap that was _brutal_.

My chest heaved. I tried to suck in as much air as possible while I coughed and gasped like a fish out of water. I'd somehow managed to keep a grip on my sword, but Sephy knocked it aside with his seven-foot-long blade.

Dang it.

I didn't have enough concentration to attempt casting, Sephiroth would kill me if I went for a potion, and now my sword was out of reach.

Sighing, I met his triumphant gaze. "Great, now I'm... gonna die... in a simulation by the hands of a hologram that... shouldn't even be here... too high level... to beat..."

I found the tip of the Masamune at my throat.

"Just get it over with; make it fast." I croaked, shutting my eyes to await the inevitable.

* * *

**Angeal**

He was pleased, even impressed with her progress. When it came to fighting the soldiers on the ground, she'd used as little energy as possible and kept speeding through the obstacles in her path.

She'd also used advanced fighting methods demonstrating she'd trained for many years with an amazing Master, the likes of which he'd only ever seen with the renowned martial artist Zangan. He'd have to ask her if he could meet him later, seeing as how he greatly respected the older man.

Unlike Zack, who easily defeated the Behemoth, Angeal noticed his other student had difficulties finishing it off until she got so fed up she just brutally murdered it. She didn't even try casting, which concerned him.

Aaannd yet again, he heard Sephiroth's voice that was not supposed to be there. He groaned.

"Not again."

He snapped his phone shut, rushing to save his pupil from death by hologram.

* * *

**Autumn**

When she never felt the blade make contact, she opened an eye to see Angeal crouched in front of her, using her sword to block the deadly Masamune.

She sighed in relief, her back still slightly hurting from her collision with the wall but her enhancements were taking take of that.

The bleeding on her arm slowed a little, but if she didn't get a Hyper Potion or a Cure spell soon, she'd lose too much blood. Opening both eyes, she watched Angeal terminate the simulation, which she found disappointing.

The whole area started to de-virtualize, turning into cyber cubes that fell away into nothing, as did the virtual copy of Sephiroth, replaced by Angeal. He stared at his pupil sternly.

Again.

The brunette groaned, picking herself off the floor. "Mission Abort" beeped inside her visor, which she ripped off.

"Oh come on, Angeal! I was _so close_! Besides, it's not my fault that Sephy appeared out of nowhere when he isn't supposed to!"

When he threw her another austere look, she fell silent and slumped her shoulders.

"I know, I shouldn't have engaged. But what was I supposed to do?"

He tossed her her sword back, and even though she was surprised, she caught it in the air, twirling it professionally. He also cast Cure on her to heal her arm. She sighed in relief as the bleeding stopped and the skin mended back together. Her red blood cell count would replenish itself soon from how fast SOLDIERs regenerated, but in the meantime, she'd be a little woozy.

"I'm actually surprised you lasted that long. Zack only had a few seconds until he was nearly beheaded."

She snickered. "Yeah, well, that's because I'm obviously better."

He sighed. "Sakura-"

"-Okay, not because I'm better, per-say, but I have had some sparring matches with Sephy. Guilty as charged."

Angeal was already walking towards the exit, shaking his head and muttering about fixing a glitch with Reeve.

_"Sakura."_

"Hm?"

"What's your dream?"

Mentally sighing, she replied, "To become a 1st."

"Is that really what you're striving for?"

Weeell, technically she was striving to become a 1st in order to access highly classified information on her and Aerith's heritage and for some way for them to obtain freedom instead of getting monitored and hunted down by the Turks as if they were game to catch.

So, if anything, her only dream (and any other dreams she'd quickly crushed with a cruel hammer of reality), was freedom for herself and her sister.

But since she couldn't tell him that, she simply answered, "I just said it was, didn't I?"

Her tone was sharper than intended, but she was honestly tired of this speech about dreams from Angeal when he knew what her dream was.

Angeal sighed through his nose. "Autumn, if you want to become stronger you need a dream. Dreams, and honor."

Then he left the room.

Her hands quivered as she fought with the bubbling pit of anger in her chest. Who was he to tell her what to do? Oh, right, her mentor. But she had honor, or at least she believed so, so why did she need dreams? A long-term goal was better, wasn't it?

Besides, Angeal could never learn of her true intentions. If he did, she was definitely screwed.


	3. A New Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura Gains, AKA Autumn, and Zack are given a new assignment that creates internal conflict in the former.

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 Crisis Core. All rights go to Square Enix.**

_"It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for; I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill." -_Emilie Autumn_, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls_

* * *

**Autumn  
**

Sitting in the SOLDIER lounge watching Zack perform squats wasn't on her agenda for the day, but alas, there she was. The number of missions available dropped significantly in the past few weeks. The number of SOLDIERs around also decreased. Perhaps there was some kind of group training or something?

Regardless, she was tired of just sitting there, watching her partner keep himself busy with her hands propping up her chin. She sighed, stood, and started to leave the lounge.

"Where're you going, Sakura?" Zack questioned between squats.

"I'm gonna go find someone who knows what's going on. And I think I know the perfect person to ask." 

"Oh, well, okay. See ya later!"

After lingering long enough to hear Zack's farewell, she wandered the halls until she stumbled upon the correct office; one belonging to none other than General Sephiroth himself.

She was about to knock when the door swung open, revealing the towering General in all his glory. They were both surprised, though Sephiroth recovered faster than her.

"What is it, Sakura? I was just about to depart on an assignment," his velvety baritone voice rumbled, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, right. I'll make it fast: what's going on?"

He furrowed his silver brows. "Pardon?"

"Where is everyone? How come I haven't been receiving any missions as of late? Where the heck is Genesis, by the way? I haven't seen any scorch marks or angry ranting for about a month now."

Sephiroth glanced around for a moment, then locked eyes with her. "I received word from Angeal you'll be receiving a new assignment; one that will provide answers to your questions. You should be getting a call any second now, but perhaps I shall shed some light on the situation: there has been a mass desertion in SOLDIER, one that oddly started occurring not long after Genesis went M.I.A. a month ago."

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets. "... What?! Genesis went M.I.A?! Where? Are the two events linked?"

"Genesis's last known location was in Wutai while on a mission for the war when he failed to check in and went off the grid. I am unsure if the two issues are related, but the timing is strange. I apologize for cutting this conversation short, but I must head out on my assignment now," Sephiroth sent her a truly apologetic glance, then brushed past her.

She stood there in shock, wondering just how oblivious she was. How could she not know Genesis went missing? Why hadn't she been informed? Before she could ponder on the information she'd gotten out of Sephiroth, her cell phone began its incessant beeping.

"Gains."

_"New assignment; come to Lazard's office for a briefing."_

"Angeal? Wait, but-"

_"-If it helps, it'll be your show. Well, yours and Zack's. This assignment is very important, understand?"_

"... yes, I understand. I'll be there soon," She replied, hanging up and jogging over to the elevators.

After she stepped in, she sighed and stared at the ivory floor number buttons. "At least I have a new assignment."

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Once I stepped inside the elevator, I pushed the button leading up to the Director's office.

The little 'ding' sounded as the door slid closed.

Forget my boredom with the newfound normalcy I'd obtained after becoming more of a freakshow than I already was! Genesis was M.I.A and there was a mass desertion in SOLDIER, and the two events might be linked somehow! Dear Shiva, please don't have Genesis be behind the desertion for some reason.

I heard the 'ding' of the elevator again, stepping out to enter a room full of glass walls. Angeal was on a computer desk as Zack finished introductions with another man who wore white gloves, glasses aiding his azure-colored eyes, and a pristine dark blue suit. His fair hair was neatly parted down the middle and slightly long.

He was obviously of a higher position, judging by his slimmer build and fancier, expensive-looking attire.

They all looked at me as I stopped in front of them. The man with blond hair-who was probably the Director-pushed his chair back a few inches before standing.

"Sakura Gains. It's good to finally meet face to face."

His tone was professional yet somewhat warm. Even though it'd been almost three years, Sakura still felt like a foreign name.

"Lazard, Director of SOLDIER," He extended his hand as a friendly and polite gesture.

I took his hand into my own, shaking it with a firm grip. "I've heard much about you, Director."

"Likewise," The man replied, pulling his hand out of mine and returning to his computer. "Onto business."

He pushed a few buttons on the panel in front of him, then sat down. Zack and I looked at the big screen above.

It showed a picture of a man with auburn hair, crystal blue eyes, and wearing a long red coat over a black shirt: Genesis Rhapsodos.

Over the past few years, I'd taken to Genesis as a close friend. Oh, how I missed our banters and conversations. I would casually throw in a remark or two to set Genesis off or throw him off so he'd reply with something hilarious. It was quite entertaining.

Learning of his disappearance disturbed me. If Genesis-a Commander and extremely powerful mage-went missing, what did it entail for SOLDIER?

"SOLDIER 1st Class Genesis," the Director spoke, pulling me out of my thoughts. "A month ago, he went missing during a mission in Wutai."

Unintentionally, my eyes wandered to Angeal, who refused to meet my gaze, opting to stare at Genesis's photo.

_"Genesis, when I track you down, you'd better be safe and have good reasons for leaving."_

A red light continued to appear and disappear with M.I.A. on it.

"Know anything about this?"

As if Genesis would ever tell me what was going on in his life. Whenever I asked him how his day was going, he'd reply with something like, "Just fine until you came." Although there was always a hint of light sarcasm to his tone, so I never took it personally.

Moral of the story: 'Genesis never tells me anything.'

"Not a clue," Zack admitted with a shrug.

"No idea," I answered.

I thought we both sounded 100% innocent. Glancing over I noticed the concerned look on Angeal's face. We locked eyes.

I sent him a short nod, telling him everything would be resolved. _"I'm going to bring Genesis back, one way or another."_

He nodded back, returning his focus to the computer.

"The mission is currently stuck in limbo. That's why we've decided to send the two of you," The Director told us.

What?

"To Wutai?" I asked.

"Yes. This war has gone on long enough."

I'd gone to Wutai on several occasions for other assignments: taking down bases, important factions for Wutai, and just for more manpower while leading my own teams. I had to, partly because I was a popular and loved "idol" by the people for my status as a female SOLDIER, and also because I really did help Shinra progress further in the war.

But I hated it.

I knew the Wutaians were the good guys, and we were the ones stripping them of their pride in their nation and honor, all for the sake of supposed mako located in their lands.

On the upside, the war kept my sister out of Shinra's clutches and drained their reserves, but on the downside I killed innocents. What did that say about me?

"I've recommended you both for 1st."

Zack and I spun in surprise at Angeal's sudden statement.

My partner busted out laughing as I stood there, stunned. Three years... three years of hard work, plus the past six of training under Master Zangan, and now I had the chance to reach my goal. The classified information...

Forgetting about Wutai, a sense of joy surged within me as I smiled widely.

Zack had latched onto Angeal. "Angeal! I love you, man!"

Angeal seemed uncomfortable, but I didn't care.

"Angeal, you have no idea how much this means to me!" I exclaimed, joining Zack in squeezing the daylights out of our mentor.

I glanced away for a few seconds to see the Director trying to stifle his chuckles.

"Ang-"

Zack was cut off because then Angeal shoved us off and glared. "Don't make me regret this you two."

We both stiffened, giving a salute in response.

"Sir!"

"Once you're both packed, you'll leave at once," Angeal informed us, standing up.

Kunsel then entered the room, most likely to help us out if we needed anything.

"The operation will begin immediately upon the arrival at Wutai. If you have any questions about the assignment or combat in general, you both should talk to the other SOLDIER operatives."

I glanced at Zack. "Well, guess we'd better start packing now if we wanna leave anytime soon."

"Yeah. Hey, how many potions do you have left?"

"Uh... five, why?"

"Maybe you should-"

"Stock up? Yeah, I was planning on it. You should do the same." I responded, turning to Kunsel with a smile underneath my mask.

He talked about the basics of close combat and sent an email to Zack, knowing full-well I had no need for it considering I'd trained for six years under a famous martial arts master.

Minutes ticked by as I restocked on potions, ethers, elixirs, and dug up my phoenix downs I'd kept stashed away. I also made sure I had my Rune armlet, trusty Kaiser Knuckles, Shinra Beta, Champion Belt, earrings, and Mythril Gloves. A girl could never have too many accessories, and I'd gotten some pretty good ones, considering I went on so many important missions.

"So? Did you read the email?" he asked.

"I read it all!" Zack grinned.

"Oh Shiva, _Zack read something_?! Where's the raining chocobos?" I gasped, looking around wildly as Zack rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha, very funny."

Kunsel sighed. "Well, knowing you, Zack, you probably won't remember everything after one read."

My hand flew up to my masked mouth in an effort to stifle my laughs.

He gaped at his friend. "Why're you siding with her, man?! What happened to loyalty?"

Kunsel smirked. "Dude, I can't help that she's usually right. Anyways, read it when you need to refresh your memory. It'll come in handy, I promise. By the way, the materia you were using in training have been confiscated. Powerful materia have to be earned on your own. Those are the SOLDIER rules."

"Hah, sucks for you." I teased.

I was able to keep all of my materia since I'd gotten them either at the store or on missions.

"I _do_ have my own materia, ya know that, right?" Zack remarked, sticking his tongue out at me.

"Yeah whatever, you know you enjoyed using the materia they gave you."

I started tuning Kunsel out because it was all information I already knew, letting my mind wander. Concerns about the classified information arose. I needed that information. And when I did finally get it... I would disappear. I'd finally rejoin the rest of my family.

Though, I knew leaving SOLDIER would be highly difficult now, since I'd grown attached to Angeal, seeing him as a father, and Zack's promise lingered in my head.

* * *

_Flashback~_

_"Hey, Sakura! Wait up."_

_I stood rigid in the elevator, my finger outstretched, inches away from pushing the 'down' button to the main floor. _ _My muscles ached and burned from overactivity, and fatigue weighed heavily on my mind and eyes. My desire to head home to sleep was on a high._

_Realizing it was Zack, I hastily pushed the button over and over again._

_"Ugh, these things don't go fast enough!" I growled, not really in the mood for socializing._

_"Hey!" he shouted, stopping the doors by shooting his arm through into the small space._

_The doors slid back in reluctance. I shot the button panel a glare. It failed me._

_He stepped in, waiting for the doors to close. _ _Zack switched off the main power button. _

_"So, I wanted to talk to you."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Remember how I saved your life from those Hounds?"_

_I glared at him. "Yes. Here to gloat?"_

_"No. I was wondering if we could... I dunno, make a promise," Zack said, nervously scratching the back of his head._

_I narrowed my eyes. "Is this some kind of trap?"_

_He waved his hands fervently at me. _ _"No, no! I just don't want either of us to do something like that again. I almost died too, you know."_

_"Okay, talk. And make it fast, before we reach the main floor," I agreed, flipping the power back on and pushing the designated button._

_"I was thinking about how you ran off on your own because you wanted to prove yourself. I was left alone, fighting for my life, and you placed yourself in danger, too. So I want us both to promise that we'll have each other's backs."_

_My mood bitter because of tiredness and my patience growing thin, I thought for only a few seconds, seeing it was a logical and reasonable request. _ _"Fine, it's a promise."_

_He pumped a fist. "Yes! Awesome! I mean-cool, thanks."_

_*sigh*_

_'ding!'_

_"Oh hey, look at that. It's my escape to a soft, comfortable bed back home." I muttered, walking towards the doors with Zack following me._

_"Sakura, do ya need help walking home?"_

_"No, I'm-"_

_I cut myself off. It'd be good to reassure him I trusted him for the most part. _ _"Sure, fine, whatever. But this is a one-time thing, you hear? I'm fine on my own."_

_He grinned. "Yeah, yeah."_

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

"Sakura?"

I snapped out of my trance, looking at Kunsel. "Huh?"

"You okay? It's not like you to space out like that."

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Just... thinking. Anyways, what were we doing?"

"After you register, you can check missions on your handset. Come on, I'll show you how to register on the mission board," Kunsel told us with a smile, leaving the room and having us follow.

We entered another room with a 3rd Class present.

"Time is of the essence. Please complete your preparations swiftly."

We walked over to the large screen Kunsel was standing by. Zack placed a hand on the panel. On the screen, it read, "Mission registration accepted."

"Did you seriously forget to do this?" I asked, staring at him incredulously.

He flushed. "Hey, I haven't had time to do it again since I got promoted to 2nd. I've mostly had assignments in the war and-"

"-In other words, you keep forgetting even though Angeal told you that you have to repeat the process every time you get promoted." I interposed, and when I saw him pout I knew I was right.

"Sor-ry if my memory isn't the best!"

"How about you just go and do a mission now instead of pouting because you've gotten told?" Kunsel cut in, causing his pout to deepen even though he complied.

"I'm gonna go and nab a bite to eat; it's not like I'll have the time in Wutai. Unless I wanna risk getting a dose of poison in my drink or something."

"Yeah, I get it: war isn't exactly the time for lunch breaks. I'll give you a heads-up when Zack's done."

"Thanks." I smiled, heading out the door to the cafeteria.

Everyone glanced at me while I passed them. I suppose it made sense since I was kinda the first girl to survive the SOLDIER procedures, and I'd made myself a reputation due to my cold demeanor, thus earning the title "Ice Queen of SOLDIER".

While waiting in line, I felt someone try to sneak up on me - both due to my instincts and my Sense materia - and whipped around to glare at Sarrel. Seeing who it was, I groaned.

"Sarrel, seriously? We've been over this: I'm a SOLDIER, I _know_ you're behind me."

He huffed, looking back at me with a hint of fear in his eyes. "No no, I swear one of these days I'm gonna catch you off-guard and prove that even SOLDIERs can get scared!"

"Of course we can get scared; just not by surprises." I rolled my eyes, moving up in the line to pick up a tray full of fresh vegetables, a small carton of milk, and a steak with a side of mashed potatoes.

"Yeah, yeah - magical enhancements that basically make you super-human equals you can detect the smallest sounds. But I _will _prove that you guys can still get jumped!"

"Why are you making this your life mission? Don't you have assignments and missions to complete?"

"Well yeah, but this is more entertaining."

I simply nodded to the employees manning the lunches, turning my head to Sarrel. "Whatever. See you later Sarrel, I have to eat quickly and then leave for an assignment in Wutai."

"No kidding! Me and the guys are heading over there too; they say the war's coming to a close and this is the final push we need. See you there, then!" he grinned, waving goodbye.

How could he grin when he was about to head into war? He'd make a great, heartless SOLDIER, that was for sure.

Quietly I sat down in the far corner of the lounge. A few other SOLDIERs were there, chatting while eating their own food, but they knew better than to bother me. Pulling down my mask, I shoved a forkful of veggies into my mouth and chewed as fast as I could.

In about ten minutes I'd completely devoured my meal, leaving not a trace of lettuce or steak behind. I'd cleared my entire tray, though my stomach was definitely cursing me out for it.

"Urgh, if only I didn't have an assignment!" I groaned, lurching when my stomach made a weird squealing noise.

I made it back to the Director's office as fast as I could, seeing an impatient Zack and a straight-faced Angeal waiting for me.

"We have to leave for Wutai soon. Are you two ready?" Angeal asked.

"We're all set!" I replied for the two of us.

My stomach made another strange noise, followed by rumbling and a painful stabbing sensation. I felt my face heat up as all eyes turned on me inquisitively, but I kept my face straight and relatively expressionless.

Director Lazard looked over at us. "I'll be joining you as well. I'm counting on both of you."

Zack and I stiffened, standing straight and tensed.

"Sir!"

Then the Director asked a question I hadn't expected. "By the way, what is your dream? "To become 1st"… is it?"

I nodded partially. If he'd been expecting some heartfelt reason to back it up, he was gonna be disappointed. There wasn't anything I wanted to say.

"No. To become a hero!" Zack replied enthusiastically.

I didn't have the luxury of dreams or naive fantasizing of becoming some kind of knight in shining armor. Reality hit me hard at a young age: there were no dreams to fulfill that mattered in this world.

It was all about survival: the fundamental instincts pre-programmed into our beings; into all creatures. And I was adamant about ensuring the survival of myself and my sister, no matter what.

"Ah, good! Unattainable dreams are the best kind." Lazard smiled a little.

"Uh, thanks?" Zack said, unsure if it was a compliment or an insult.

"Actually, nothing is unattainable if you put your mind to it." I corrected, sensing the Director stare at me in curiosity.

I held his gaze, challenging him to look away. I had no idea what overcame me, but I refused to back down from the staring contest.

Maybe... maybe I was hoping that even though I couldn't see any of my dreams become reality, I could watch Zack do it. Whether it was to inspire myself or observe what my happiness could've been had I gone down a different path, I wasn't sure. I didn't want to ponder on it.

Then I snapped back to my senses, quickly averting my eyes. My mind focused on other things, among them how I could possibly atone for the sins I had yet to commit.


	4. Wutai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn, Zack, and Angeal head to Wutai in hopes of bringing a conclusion to the war. Since her performance as the first female SOLDIER is constantly under observation, Autumn finds her hands tied as she heads to her next assignment in the war-torn country, wishing she could do something.

**Disclaimer: I doth not own thy FFVII CC.**

_"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." -_G.K. Chesterton

* * *

**Mount Tamblin**

**Autumn  
**

The chopper they departed in arrived in Wutai hours later, when the sun commenced its long descent from the heavens and alight with a fiery reddish-orange which spread like calm flames beneath, sending up tones of light pink and lavender in its wake.

The trio ran across a dirt path surrounded by lush nature, dense forests and bushes, and long, bright green grass. The soil crunched quietly underneath their feet. Unlike in Midgar, Wutai had fresh, crisp air, sun breaks and actual life sustained in the thickened forests besides humans.

Autumn smiled slightly, wishing she could enjoy the change in scenery, but then all of her previous assignments in Wutai flew through her mind; the gore and cries of the dying wiping the smile off her face.

She could almost feel the energy in the life around her, a stark contrast to the waves of death she and the others fighting the war caused. The guilt she carried weighed heavily in her gut, though she had little choice but to push it away.

"Fort Tamblin is straight ahead," Angeal told his two pupils in a hushed voice as they came to a halt in front of a wider and larger path. "Let's hurry, B Unit is standing by."

A Wutai Private ran up, stopping when he spotted the trio.

"You three! Identify yourselves!" He demanded with a spear ready in his right hand.

Two more warriors - possibly those of his unit - emerged from the brush to join him.

Angeal stood in a battle stance as Autumn and Zack walked in front of him.

"Just leave this to me!" Zack grinned, drawing his sword.

"Try not to forget about me, too," Autumn smirked, slipping into an offensive stance with her own blade.

She could never resist a fight, despite her cynical views towards killing. Call it a contradiction, but it was what she lived and breathed. She'd love to simply battle the Wutaian soldiers - sparring and matches of skill, not death - but the Wutaians were a proud people, and never submitted defeat. They always, _always_ fought until their last breath, much to her disappointment and dismay.

The three Wutaian soldiers pitifully tried to surround the two 2nd Classes, pointing their weapons in their direction. Zack was already up in their faces, cutting two down in a mere few seconds. Autumn impaled the last after a swift upwards block, bright crimson blood spattering onto the rich soil.

The brunette glanced around wearily, using her Sense materia she'd been honing ever since she was in the infantry, to ensure they wouldn't get ambushed. When she sensed nothing, she lowered her sword a little.

"All right, next!" Zack loudly challenged, eagerness and excitement rushing through his veins.

Autumn merely sighed, a bit agitated and annoyed by her partner, but she held onto her patience. Blowing up at the ravenette would do nothing, nor would it change his attitude.

_"Well, things could be worse."_

"Calm down, Zack," Angeal told him as he brushed past the overly hyper and grinning puppy.

"No can do. The director is watching from somewhere, right? I have to make a good impression."

_"That also means I can't spare anyone," _The female 2nd thought sadly.

She didn't want to kill any Wutaians. They were simply protecting their home from Shinra's greedy fingers. But with the Director watching, he would probably become suspicious of her if she tried. If he discovered her loathing of Shinra, she'd be brought in for questioning. And that was something she couldn't afford.

"Zack, Sakura... Do you know about dumbapples?" Angeal questioned out of the blue.

"Yes," The brunette 2nd instantly answered.

Zack, however, was rather ignorant.

"No, what is that?" he inquired, curiosity sparking in his lively sky blue eyes.

Angeal held his chin in his hand as he kept his back turned to his students. "Unbelievable. How can you not know about dumbapples? You'll never make 1st at that rate."

His words seemed disheartening, yet held a hidden encouragement that made his statement almost non-insulting.

Almost.

"Oh, I guess that means I'm a step closer, right?" the sole female in the group smirked, taking the lead down the path.

As the 1st continued down the path with a chuckle behind his female pupil, Zack then realized he was about to be left behind.

"Whoa, wait!" he called out, jogging to a stop near his mentor and partner, who kept walking. "What are dumbapples!?"

Having wasted valuable time to keep pace with his two companions, who were far out of sight, Zack groaned, starting up a light jog down the forest path.

* * *

**Zack's POV**

I kept running down the winding path in front of me so I could catch up with Angeal and Autumn, but man they didn't even give me a second to join them! I stopped when some monsters got in my way. Drawing my sword, I grinned.

"You want a piece of me?"

The monsters growled in response.

"Come and get it!"

I swung my sword, slicing an Edgehead's head off while avoiding its giant pincers.

I turned and cut a Tail Vault in half, then burnt another one to a crisp with Fire. I sheathed my sword, sprinting down the path. I was so far behind! I needed to catch up; I didn't need Autumn mad at me.

I shuddered when I remembered the last time I angered her. I thought it was pretty funny, but she, for some reason, thought different.

* * *

** _Flashback~_ **

_ **Boom!** _

_What sounded like an explosion rang out from an enclosed room._

_"Aaaagh! ZACK!" A female voice screeched inside the HQ building of Shinra._

_SOLDIER members turned, trying to sight the source of the angry shrieking. Zack dashed past them, trying to escape from the girl so badly he looked like he was being chased by a horde of Hojo's monsters._

_Autumn stormed into the room, her hair frizzy with something akin to soot coating her skin. She stomped up to a SOLDIER 3rd Class, grabbing him by his shirt._

_"Where is he?"_

_The SOLDIER, eyes wide and hands up innocently, pointed down the hall. The steaming young woman released the SOLDIER from her grasp, continuing to pursue her trouble-making partner._

_The SOLDIERS let out a sigh of relief._

_"They're at it again, huh?" one SOLDIER chuckled._

_"Seems that way. Sheesh, what did Zack do this time?"_

_"Who knows? I'm just glad she didn't take it out on us."_

_"Yeah. She's the Ice Queen for a reason. Zack's totally screwed."_

_When Autumn finally caught Zack, he was trying to find somewhere else to run to, but she'd backed him into a corner, glaring daggers into his very soul with her glowing sapphire eyes._

_"Waitwaitwait! It was a joke!"_

_"Oh, so planting a stink/smoke bomb in the training room I was in was your idea of a joke?!"_

_"I was... well, I..."_

_The young woman glared at him in scrutiny, a sort of strange slime trickling down her arms and legs, which she noticed, screeched, and tried to shake off with a look of utter disgust on her youthful face._

_"It's going to take me_ days_ to get this all out! Your definition of a joke is anything_ but_ funny!"_

_"Come on, there wasn't any harm involved! Can't we just... laugh this off? It's just a joke!"_

_Autumn glowered at him, steaming so much he could've sworn there was smoke pouring out from her ears._

_"It's a joke when both people find it mutually hilarious and they're both laughing. Do I _look _like I'm laughing, Zachary Goode Fair?" She growled, advancing on him like a predator closing in for the kill._

_Her fists emanated the cool mist of her Blizzaga._

_"Ah, well, er..." He stuttered, averting her piercing gaze._

_Kunsel started strolling by when Zack noticed and desperately called out to him._

_"Kunsel!"_

_The said SOLDIER stopped and turned. "Oh, hey Zack."_

_His voice shook from the attempt to hold in his laughter._

_"Help me out, man! Please?" Zack pleaded, putting on a pitiful puppy face._

_"I-" Kunsel cut himself off when Autumn sent him a death glare._

_I_ _f looks could kill..._

_"Nope, not getting involved, sorry man," he gulped nervously before quickly heading down the hall._

_Autumn turned back to Zack, a cold smile on her countenance. "Now, for your punishment..."_

**End of Flashback**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Zack shivered.

She made him her personal servant for a week; having him fetch things for her, deal with sleazeballs who kept hitting on her, chores around her apartment, and even more torment.

After Kunsel left them at the time, she'd left him battered and bruised, struggling to hobble out of HQ without facing too much mortification. He'd even nearly gotten frostbite!

It only took a few minutes for him to reunite with Angeal and Autumn, the sun setting deeper into the horizon as night began to creep its way into Wutai, ever so silently and without a moment's notice.

Their only light source was the many fireflies lazily drifting in small groups, occasionally parting and joining up with others. Autumn smiled, silently making a wish. She'd heard stories from her mother about a small myth of how fireflies brought forth good luck.

"So Angeal, what's the deal with "dumbapples"?" Zack asked as he skidded to a stop.

Angeal paused to answer, prompting his other pupil to follow. "The official name is Banora White. The trees bear fruit at random times during the year. Because of that, the townspeople affectionately call them dumbapples. The local farms had plenty to spare."

"Oh, really? So you stole them."

"We were poor, Zack."

"Nice excuse!"

Autumn frowned. "Some circumstances you just can't help, Zack. What would you do if you were in that position?"

The Puppy pondered for a moment, realizing she had a point.

"But even then, I had my honor. The largest Banora White tree grew on a wealthy man's estate. It was rumored that those apples tasted the best. But I never stole from that tree, because the wealthy man's son was my friend." Angeal explained.

Zack laced his hands together behind his head, sauntering in front of the 1st. Autumn followed, her body tense despite not sensing any enemies nearby.

"If he was a friend, you should have just asked for some!" The Puppy reasoned, only seeing the common sense in the story of Angeal and the wealthy man's son.

Autumn had never understood that part of Angeal's story; Genesis would've helped him in an instant, and even though he was overdramatic and ill-tempered, she'd seen on several occasions that he truly cared for his best friend.

"Honor can be quite a burden at times," Angeal answered.

Zack put his hands on his hips, frowning in confusion. "... And what does this have to do with us?"

Autumn walked over to stand next to him, interested in what he would have to say.

Their mentor folded his arms.

"No story is not worth hearing." He turned, starting to walk away laughing.

The two 2nd Classes stood rigid in place. Zack extended a hand, wanting to stop Angeal but he was already far ahead. Autumn seemed very confused.

"What? That's it?"

_"Well, that was a time-waster." _Autumn thought dryly.

They could've been _miles_ ahead by now if they hadn't bothered listening to his stupid backstory! Why, oh why, couldn't she have been with B unit? At least Sephiroth wouldn't waste time with trivial tales.

They started running to try and catch up with their mentor, who was out of their sight by now.

"Yeah, well, thanks a lot!" Zack shouted as he and Autumn continued down the winding tile path after Angeal.

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

When we finally caught up with Angeal it was already night time. Darkened hues of blue were beginning to peak from over the horizon as the sky became peppered with stars. Our only source of light was the moon's gentle beams.

Zack and I spotted Angeal crouched down, keeping hidden from sight with a pagoda in view behind the low bushes he used as cover. We came and crouched down as well, setting our eyes onto the pagoda.

"B Unit will set off an explosion. That's our cue."

"The diversion will allow us to infiltrate," I caught on.

Angeal confirmed my prediction with a nod. "Right. I'll set the bomb inside the fortress. You two'll charge the front gate, and…"

Zack, once again, became too impatient and overly excited. "Uh-huh, and? And? And? And?"

Despite it being annoying at times, Zack's over-enthusiasm was amusing.

"Indulge yourselves."

"You got it! That's what I do best!" My partner nearly cheered.

He would've said it much louder if it didn't mean blowing our cover. I sighed, evidently not as enthusiastic.

The three of us turned our attention back to the pagoda, patiently waiting for the signal from B Unit. Just after a few minutes, Zack stood up, growing restless already. I stood up, too. To be honest my legs were starting to lose feeling from being crouched down for so long.

"Come on, B Unit..."

Angeal drew the Buster Sword - the one he'd told me meant a great deal in his family so long ago. He brought the flat side of the blade against his forehead in a quick prayer before placing it on his back again.

"You know, I've never actually seen you use that," Zack pointed out, referring to the Buster Sword.

"Neither have I." I agreed.

Now that I thought about it, never in all my time knowing Angeal had he drawn that sword besides for prayer. I suspected it was because of the deeper meaning behind the blade, but apparently Zack hadn't been clued in.

"Don't you think it's sort of a waste?" Zack inquired, wondering how Angeal could possibly refrain from using such a spectacular sword.

"Use brings about wear... tear... and rust. And that's a real waste," Angeal replied simply.

Zack had an astonished look on his face as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I can be pretty cheap."

I held back a laugh that was rising in my throat.

"Yeah, no kidding..." The ravenette beside me trailed off with a grin.

I couldn't help but smile too, not that either of my companions noticed due to my mask. All of a sudden, the ground trembled as a bright red light appeared. We all stood up and turned around.

"Begin mission," Angeal ordered, and those words were like music to my ears.

Zack gave a thumbs-up as I just nodded, jumping into the air to do a backflip, then a front flip, briefly spotting my partner do the opposite.

I dashed and came to an abrupt halt with my partner at the front of the pagoda, making sure to keep a few feet away, since there were about ten Wutai soldiers and one Wutai Sergeant standing in our path.

"No one passes beyond this point! The enemy is but one man! Obliterate him!" The Wutai Sergeant commanded.

Zack and I charged towards the soldiers.

"Oh, well then, I guess that means I'll be let in with a warm welcome, right?" I called out with a smirk, seeing the sergeant scowl at me.

"Wait a minute... oh great Leviathan, it's her! It's the Ice SOLDIER!" I heard a private yell.

The very same private hastily retreated much to the anger of his comrades, though most were now quaking a bit in place. I'd made a reputation for myself in the war, and I usually used my Blizzaga materia in various ways - I even had a limit break called Ice Force with levels that went up to 7, though Ice Force 7 could freeze over and decimate areas up to several kilometers, so I tended not to use that one unless I was completely surrounded by enemies. Plus, they'd gotten word of my status as the Ice Queen.

They also sometimes called me Devil Shiva or something.

I noticed archers posted on the roof just behind the other soldiers. As they started to fire at us, Zack started casting Fire many times over, lighting soldiers aflame.

I heard them screech out in bloodcurdling screams, trying to extinguish the fires consuming their bodies, but they just fell to the ground, dead.

The wretched scent of burning flesh reached my nose, which I crinkled in disgust.

Zack didn't seem to care, keeping the soldiers at a distance with Fire as I silently ran towards my enemies at an inhuman speed, wanting to close my eyes when they let out a short yelp or scream as my blade sliced through their skin, jerking them into odd positions before collapsing to the ground, their blood staining the dirt with deep red.

The Director watched my every move from someplace I couldn't see. I couldn't spare anyone here. I even had to behead one of them, seeing the blood that followed dribbling rapidly. If it was three years ago, I'm sure I would've hurled. The detached body fell to its knees then collapsed into the mud. I turned away, unwilling to see another pool of blood caused by my soiled hands.

Avoiding more arrows directed at me and Zack, I twirled and caught one in my hand, spinning and throwing it back at the archer, seeing it embed itself in his neck with immense precision. He fell backward and his fellow companions fired more fiercely.

I cast Blizzaga, fragmenting the massive block of ice and shooting out the shards to pierce through their heads, necks, and hearts. I left no survivors.

Seeing as how no other soldiers came, I twirled my sword a few times before placing it on my back.

"All right! Piece of cake!" Zack cheered.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" I replied as we continued to the doors.

I was suspicious. If they knew we were SOLDIER, why didn't they alert the others inside?

_"Probably because they were so obnoxious they didn't think they needed backup."_

In all of the times I'd spent fighting battles and making advances in Wutai, none were this stupid or lacking in strategy. Didn't they know what a 1st Class looked like by now? They should've called backup the moment that private screamed my name - er, title.

Zack and I advanced into the pagoda. I turned off my emotions and morals, which would only make me hesitate. I was the Ice Queen of SOLDIER, the Devil Shiva in Wutai.

I could show no mercy.


	5. Honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn and Zack continue their killing spree in one of Wutai's strongholds, where Autumn flips the switch and becomes the Ice Queen, yet still manages to retain her sense of honor.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. All rights go to Square Enix :)**

_"The greatest way to live with honour in this world is to be what we pretend to be" -_Socrates_, Essential Thinkers-Socrates_

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Once we were inside, Zack and I hopped onto the ledge of a nearby building.

Luckily it was wide enough to walk on, so we crept carefully across, only stopping when we spotted some soldiers below us. We glanced at each other, nodded and leaped down. One of the warriors I identified as a Wutai Private screeched out orders - the same one who retreated.

"Enemy attack! It's SOLDIER - and one of them is the Devil Shiva! Don't let them get through!"

I landed on the shoulders of one of the guards, using him as a partial shield against his comrades. Utilizing my Blizzaga again, I split the massive hunk of ice in two and shot my hands out, sending them hurtling into two of the soldiers and crashing them into the ground.

Instead of focusing on the brain matter and blood mixing with the remnants of ice, I squeezed and twisted my legs to snap the neck of the guard I was sitting atop of.

Flipping off of the body, I drew my sword and charged at the terrified private.

"N-n-no! Please!" He stammered, holding up his twin knives to counter my assault. "I have a family! A brother, sister - I'm married, for Leviathan's sake!"

I couldn't respond - I'd break inside if I did - so I swiftly pushed his blades away using hardly any of my SOLDIER strength and punched him in the throat to get him to stop talking.

Once he was distracted by his jammed throat, I drove my sword through his chest. He let out a strangled, half-silent cry with wide terrified eyes before slumping limply against the cold metal.

I yanked out my sword and did a few swipes in the air to get rid of the blood.

I looked over and saw Zack had killed another. He gazed at me strangely as if something was wrong.

"What?" I snapped a little too rudely.

Zack hadn't done anything, I was just mad: Mad that I was helping the enemy, mad that I had to murder innocents, mad that I was good at it.

"Uh, nothing. Just that you seem to be getting sloppy lately," He pointed at my face and when I brought my gloved fingers up to it I felt a warm, sticky substance.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust before realizing it was splattered on my shirt and pants, too. Suddenly some trailed down into my mouth. I urgently spat it out, tasting the disgusting rust with a tinge of sweetness.

Blood.

I groaned, grabbing a nearby leaf in an effort to clean off the blood as best I could. It must have been that last private; his blood must have spattered on me when I retracted my blade.

"Yeah? Well, by that logic so are you," I briefly pointed to his chest, where a large crimson stain was.

He shrugged, knowing he couldn't do anything about it. Then his cell phone rang. I continued to wipe off the blood while Zack put it on speaker.

_"Were the two of you able to get inside the fortress?" _Angeal asked us straight away.

"Piece of cake! We could have done it blindfolded!" Zack boasted and suddenly that saying felt familiar.

"Zack, killing Wutaian troops isn't the same thing as fighting off some holographic infantrymen in a training simulation or killing some rampaging monsters," I warned.

_"Don't get too careless. I've heard that the Wutai keep a large monster for anti-SOLDIER purposes. It should be somewhere inside Fort Tamblin." _Angeal advised.

I doubted now that he told Zack about it he'd be able to stay away.

"If we take it out, do you think we'll make 1st?" Zack asked and my eyes widened for two reasons: One being that Zack had actually included me when he talked about becoming a 1st and two that I could become a 1st even faster if I killed the monster Angeal spoke of.

_"It depends on the quality of the work. Your main duty is to draw the Wutai troops to the two of you by running amok. Do that, and the director will give both of you a favorable evaluation."_

My heart was beating faster, and not just from the adrenaline of battle. I could become a 1st if I did everything right!

"Oh, that'll be easy! Just leave it to me!" Zack replied.

"Don't worry, I'll be here, too," I added reassuringly.

He hung up, and we made a left to discover a chest. I let Zack open it while I peered out from a corner, making sure no one was following us to take us by surprise. The ravenette stood, turned, and showed me a Soma. I shrugged while he pocketed the item.

"You know, you've been very negative ever since that training simulation."

"Oh, really?" I grumbled as we kept on walking.

"Yeah! I mean, you've been complaining, quiet, seething, you've gotten mad at me for no good reason!"

I sighed. "Zack, how can I be complaining and quiet at the same time? And seething is a variation of mad, it's basically a redundant adjective."

I just wanted to complete the mission; how hard was it for him to understand that we _w_e_re in the middle of a war?!_

The ravenette pouted. "Okay Grammar Geek, just chill a little - no pun intended, ya know since you always use Blizzaga here for some reason."

I resisted an eye-roll. "Yeah, I get it. Sorry, I guess I'm just a little... tense. I don't like going on assignments here."

"Okay, well... just remember that we're the good guys fighting some bad guys. Orders are orders," He smiled and patted my back.

_'You couldn't be more wrong, Zack. Shinra is doing a whole lot for many _bad _purposes. The Wutaians just don't want their lands desecrated.'_

But he was also right. It was our job, and orders were orders.

"Yeah," I conceded, stiffening when faced with a lion-based creature.

Its name escaped me, but it did look familiar. It growled at us as two Wutai soldiers jumped down out of nowhere at the creature's side.

"There they are!" One of them exclaimed, charging at us.

I drew my sword as one got close and in a single swing sent him flying to the ground, hearing a sickening crunch when he landed.

Zack took on the creature and the other soldier, slicing them both using a spin attack that made them both collapse with very deep gashes marking their dead bodies.

We continued our way through the fortress, turning another right and ending up facing three more soldiers.

_"Apparently turning right isn't working out so well."_

As soon as they laid eyes on us they started shooting.

"Open fire!" one of the privates commanded, even though they were already wasting bullets on us.

I quickly disposed of them with a single Blizzaga spell, sending them to the ground with large fragments of ice impaling them.

When we reached a wall, I wrenched my blade through the stomach of a soldier that tried to ambush me by the revolving wall, jumping to wrap my legs around another and squeezing as tight as possible.

When the soldier that got stabbed fell limp, I pushed off to flip, using my toned legs to smash the other soldier into the ground with a notable crunching sound. He didn't get up.

Zack killed the last soldier, sending me a grin to try and lighten up my mood. As much as I wanted to hate him - hate him for being so ignorant, hate him for killing, and hate him for what he represented - I just couldn't find it in myself to do so.

It... it was _Zack_. Who could possibly hate him?

Despite myself, I found my lips quirking up into a small smile back. How did he always manage to elicit a smile from me?

* * *

**Flashback~**

_It was back when Autumn had become a 2nd Class. She was always very busy with missions and assignments, never taking a break from her work. After a few months, she seemed to get less and less... enthusiastic._

_Zack was quietly humming to himself while strolling inside HQ before spotting a figure near the lounge, staring out the window._

_He smiled, about to jump them by surprise, but as he got closer he realized this wasn't just any SOLDIER member. It was his partner. Tears were running down her bare, beautiful face while she stared outside._

_Concerned, he stepped forward. _ _"Hey, Autumn?"_

_The brunette turned in surprise to face Zack, her eyes red and puffy._

_She groaned between sniffles, rubbing at her eyes vigorously. "Zack, what do you want?"_

_He went over to sit down next to her. "What's wrong?"_

_Autumn glanced at him, and to hopefully make him go away, smiled. "Nothing. I'm fine."_

_He had never seen her fake smile, but right then he knew she was lying. The way she hesitantly tugged her lips up into a cheerless grin gave it away._

_"Hey, come on, talk to me. We're partners and best friends, aren't we?" the raven-haired SOLDIER asked._

_Autumn winced. "I wouldn't say we're _best_ friends, but... I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine on my own."_

_Her partner thought for a moment. "Well then, don't."_

_The brunette stared at him in bemusement. "Then what do you want?"_

_"To get you back to normal and not this depressed, sad girl!" Zack grinned before taking her hand into his and pulling her up with him._

_"What?" she looked so confused Zack wanted to laugh._

_"Come on, you haven't had any fun for these past few months ever since you became a 2nd. Time to get out of HQ!"_

**End of Flashback**

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Zack dragged me all over the top plate shopping, playing games, getting food... I laughed so much that day, and I was thankful to Zack for bringing me out of my sadness.

Unbeknownst to him, it was the anniversary of my mother's death that day, and everything just hit me suddenly in waves. He was like that with everyone; always trying to make everything better.

I felt like I could never be like that. I was always the one who made things worse, the pessimist, the one who always needed cheering up. Maybe it was because we experienced very different childhoods, but I seriously needed to change my attitude.

We kept running until shouts started coming our way.

"This way! Follow me!"

The voice was deep and demanding, not to mention filled with experience and little emotion, so it was at least a Wutai Sergeant. Poking Zack, I motioned towards a wall that seemed like it had been altered.

Another revolving wall.

He nodded before moving over to one side of the wall with me. Just as I suspected, the wall separated to make way for the... let's see, the number of footsteps was too many for one person... three? Why were they always coming in small trios? Couldn't they send out at least one more soldier to even the odds somewhat?

"Attack if you dare, SOLDIER scum! You will fall by our hands!" the Wutai Sergeant snarled.

A grin broke out onto my masked face. Zack grinned, knowing I was amused by the scenario as well.

"Huh? Where did they go?"

I sobered up as the Sergeant openly complained, ignorant of our existence.

"Sneaky little pests!"

Exchanging a look with Zack, we nodded and jumped out from our hiding places. The soldiers started, and the Sergeant's eyes were practically popping out of his head.

"Ngh! What treachery!" he exclaimed as we made quick work of them with a single swipe of our swords.

Suddenly Zack's phone rang, and then mine after he answered. Huh, it must've been a merged call.

_"This is Lazard," _the familiar voice spoke.

A bubbling pit of nervousness boiled in my stomach. Frowning, I shoved it down to listen to what the Director had to say.

_"Enemy troops appear to be lurking in every corner. This fortress will not go down easily."_

"It appears that way," I replied, noting that we had taken down... about eleven soldiers by now plus one monster.

"We were just assaulted while we were checking a revolving wall," Zack informed the Director, adding to his point of the difficulty we might have of bringing down the fortress.

"There may be similar traps set up at the other walls. Proceed with caution." The Director warned us before hanging up.

I turned to Zack after pocketing my phone. "Well, maybe now you'll be more careful before jumping out from a corner into a bunch of Wutaian soldiers so I don't have to swoop in and save you."

He frowned mockingly. "And maybe now you won't be so pessimistic."

"Oooh, big word! Where did you hear that? From Kunsel?"

The sad thing was, there was an embarrassed look in his eyes as he trained his eyes on the ground.

"... Luxiere."

I sighed, shaking my head. "You know, you'd be able to say more big words if you'd read sometimes instead of just training."

Zack pouted. "Hey! Training is important! It's not like I'm gonna retire from SOLDIER, anyway. Even if I wanted to, I've never heard of anyone who's tried."

"Right... or Shinra made it all hush-hush."

"Exactly! Who has time to read?!"

He had a point. It wasn't as if there was any other job for us - him - now.

I fell silent.

I knew that SOLDIER in itself was supposed to be mysterious because of all of the classified information we handled.

The only way to leave SOLDIER was via body bag. And even if, by some miracle, the company didn't decide to kill off whoever it was who stupidly declared they were retiring, they'd be monitored for the rest of their lives.

Worst case scenario: we end up not existing; everything would be wiped clean, every trace of our existence.

We found a potion inside a chest lying about, which I found odd, but let it slide since I didn't really know how Wutai worked. I _did_ sense some enemies lying in wait, though. I knew there was a trap, probably something concerning the chests lying about, but at least I was prepared.

"You know, this isn't too bad. It's not like we can't handle anything Wutai throws at us." Zack remarked while staying alert, nearing another chest.

"Well yeah, but if what Angeal says is true, then they have a secret weapon we might find difficult to deal with. Never get too cocky, Zack. Remember the training room?" I pointed out as he groaned.

"How was I supposed to know a virtual Sephiroth was in there? I swear they throw the weirdest things into those training missions..."

The chest turned out to be a trap, but since I was ready, their lives ended quickly.

We continued on until we reached a wide opening. I didn't like open spaces like this, especially in Wutai, since there was more of a chance of an-

Two monsters appeared in front of us.

-Ambush.

The monsters snarled, even though they almost resembled something from the circus. Their skin was red with some sort of purple covering over like a blanket or maybe a cloak, wild and strange colorful headdresses and their wide jaws held razor-sharp teeth.

I remembered the name for them now: Foulanders. Sort of fitting, since their breath was foul enough to churn my stomach.

"There they are!"

After hearing the exclamations, we fought some more monsters and warriors, but nothing we couldn't handle already.

I cast Blizzaga to crush three of the soldiers, rushing forward to punch one in the clavicles so hard I felt them shatter under my fist and duck to avoid the swipe of a blade.

I grabbed the offender's arm, kneed it with so much force that the bone was sticking out (as I blocked out the ear-piercing screams), and threw him over my shoulder to finish him off with a stab to the heart.

Seeing Zack was done with his opponents judging by the slaughtered monsters with jaws agape, we marched onward.

I thought we would've split up by now, but apparently there was nowhere for us to split up at. I found an ether in a nearby chest and the two of us ended up fighting some more enemies, which didn't take too long for us.

Zack grinned. "So, how about we make this a little less depressing?"

I folded my arms, interested in the sudden offer. "Go on."

"How about whoever gets a higher kill score can have whatever they want from the loser?"

The spark of excitement and mischief his eyes screamed didn't exactly reel me in, but how could I resist? I wouldn't have to go out on boring missions for... hmm... three weeks?

"Alright," I agreed hesitantly.

Zack started to get excited before I added, "On some conditions though."

His mood dropped a bit. "Like what?"

"Well, no gross or inappropriate requests. Anything that would make the other person regret taking this challenge is off-limits."

Zack slumped his shoulders.

"With the exception that it would only make them grumble and complain a lot. And it can't last for eternity-the max is a month."

A smile tugged at my lips as my partner's face lit up again. He did a fist pump. "Oh yeah! Well, so far I have twelve. How many do you have?"

I thought about it for a moment. Let's see... there were the two from just inside the fortress, then...

"Thirteen."

Zack dropped his jaw. "Aww, you're ahead of me!"

I laughed. "Yeah, well, consider it payback for flirting with the information lady before we left and wasting time."

He turned a bit red.

"Aw come on, it was just one time."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Out of how many others?"

Seeing I'd bested him in the argument, I dropped my hands. "Come on, let's get moving."

It looked like he wanted to say more, but I wasn't willing to just stand around waiting to be discovered by more Wutaian warriors.

Unfortunately, we had the great luck of reaching a high tower, which turned out to be a watchtower since the guard posted at the top shouted, "SOLDIER operatives sighted! They're under the tower!"

I heard the pounding of feet behind me. Turning around I was faced with two more Foulanders that blocked off the exit and a Wutai Sergeant.

When I drew my sword I was in the mood to say some smart remark but thought against it since the Director was watching from somewhere. It was kind of creepy if I thought about it...

"So that's where you are! 38th Tamblin Unit, charge!" the Sergeant ordered as another soldier appeared from behind us.

They were killed just as quickly as the last bunch.

Ice from my Blizzaga materia marked spots of walls and the ground, the frost outlining the deceased soldiers and monsters as their warm blood started to melt the ice they'd been killed with.

My morals and sense of right and wrong clawed at me, screaming and howling like deranged animals trapped in a cage. My chest ached and heaved knowing I took the life of someone's father, husband, brother, son...

I sensed a loud panting, swiveling in surprise to see the last soldier I cut down still drawing breaths.

He spat at the ground near my feet in disgust. It was a mixture of saliva and blood, which dribbled from his mouth. I locked eyes with him, looking into his now mask-less face and burning brown eyes.

Blood coated his body, a deep slash across his chest. I could sense his deep, blazing hatred so clearly it nearly made me stumble back. The boiling rage towards me never faded, only heightened as he made faint hissing sounds from pain and his constant panting to keep breathing.

"Shinra scum!" he snarled.

Zack stepped forward with a hand on his sword but I held out my arm to stop him, shaking my head as I drew my own.

This was a soldier I fought, not him. I needed to have at least some honor and not just leave him here to die and suffer slowly. The very thought was horrifying in my mind.

"You're nothing but mindless tools! You have no heart, no conscience, and no honor!"

My eyes widened. Angeal practically sent me onto the border of tears with his endless speeches of honor, dreams, discipline, and more. Whether or not it was from boredom or actual respect for my mentor's words had yet to be determined.

"SOLDIER has honor. They have more heart than you do. What kind of warrior uses tricks to kill his enemies?" I countered coldly and started to turn away.

Suddenly his hand latched onto my wrist, bringing me closer. The air was stagnant and acrid at this point, bodies lying all around me and Zack.

The soldier's hand was slick with blood, sticky and cold as he continued to lose the precious, life-sustaining bright crimson liquid. His face was pallid from the injuries he sustained. I kept a steady gaze somehow, waiting for his hurtful words.

"You will receive what's coming to you!" The soldier whispered, his voice hoarse from yelling.

I stared at him for a moment before whispering back, "... I know."

That seemed to surprise the soldier for a brief few seconds before I saw his free hand start to bring something up. It flashed brightly from the minuscule rays of light still lingering in the area.

"Sakura look out!" Zack exclaimed.

_Thud._

I held my now bloodier sword in my left hand as I dully gazed at the body in front of me. In a flash of reflexes and quick judgment, I'd snapped his neck.

My wrist glistened with the crimson liquid the warrior's hand had been in. A dagger hung loosely in his once tightened fist that tried to take my life. His eyes no longer burned, the light in them fading rapidly, like a flame in its final moments of eating away at remnants of wood.

Zack's phone rang, but I didn't care. He was talking to the Director about the towers. Apparently there was another one, and we should be careful.

I despised Shinra; I hated them with every fiber of my being. But maybe the lies I'd been spinning since I arrived three years ago somehow trapped me in the web, too and I'd lost sight of the truth. In truth, SOLDIER wasn't my family; they weren't even my friends. Not really, not when none of them would still believe in me if I did tell the truth.

I stared at my bloody wrist, sheathing my sword and kneeling beside the Wutaian I'd killed to close his eyes.

Even if I ended up having no honor, I could at least respect the dead.


	6. What If?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn/Sakura and Zack continue cutting down the forces of Fort Tamblin, but out of a spark of curiosity, Autumn wonders what might've been if not for Shinra.

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII Crisis Core, Square Enix does. If I did, I would have made some serious changes to that game :P K, I know, I've been horrible and it's been forever since I've updated, but here it is! Chapter 5! And I realized Autumn's personality it a bit on the...negative side, so I'm gonna try and bring out the more positive her I have in store. ^^**

_"I'm always wondering about the what-ifs, about the road not taken." _\- Jenny Han, _To All the Boys I've Loved Before_

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

I felt Zack's hand on my arm as I turned away from the body to his concerned sky blue eyes: the signature SOLDIER eyes which sometimes got so alluring they were difficult to look away from.

"You okay?" His husky voice was full of worry.

I edged a mirthless smile, shaking my head lightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get outta here as soon as possible."

Zack grinned.

"What?" I asked, befuddled as to why he kept smiling at me.

"So far I have thirty! What about you?"

Right, the bet...

I scratched my head, taking count. There were the ones from outside, in front of the gates, right inside the gates, the ones near the evil walls, and then eventually we got to the watchtower.

"Uhhh... roughly thirty as well."

Zack's eyes lit up in excitement as he punched the air. "Yes! I'm so close!"

"Zack, we're tied."

"Yeah, but I can still get ahead!"

"You really wanna win this, don't you?"

My remark prompted his eyes to lock with mine. "Well, yeah! I have something great planned."

I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest. "And what would that be?"

My partner waved an index finger in the air with an incredibly cheeky expression. "Ah, ah, ah! It's a surprise!"

The delight on his features was worrying. Knowing Zack, it could be anything from a date to... I didn't know, really. I supposed chores, vengeful ex-girlfriends, uuhhh... meh, the list would expand, I was sure of it. To be honest I'd rather talk to some vengeful ex-girlfriends; we could plot together.

"Come on, let's keep going."

I nodded, wanting to escape from the death zone as soon as possible.

I considered splitting up with Zack, knowing he could take care of himself, but thought against it because even though he could handle the soldiers, I worried about the special SOLDIER eliminating monsters. He was still so cocky, he'd get himself killed for sure.

We made a sharp left, with me in the lead and blindly following my internal directional instincts. I stopped in a narrow corridor when three soldiers came and stopped at the far end.

"Ready! Aim! Fire!" the Sergeant ordered.

We dodged the bullets by pressing against the wall outside of the corridor. The sergeant kept yelling about how it was the end of the line for us, reinforcements were coming, and how we couldn't escape.

That quickly changed when we charged towards them and cut down two of the soldiers, followed by the Sergeant who was cocky enough to think he could fight us.

We then approached an entrance.

The silence was daunting. I decided to break it by bringing up a subject that'd been weighing on my mind lately.

"Hey, Zack?"

My partner turned his head to glance at me while walking. "Hm?"

I looked away, trying to distract myself from getting lost in his eyes again.

Blue just _had_ to be my favorite color.

I had the same problem with Genesis and Angeal, too. It led to some awkward conversations and a very parent-esque "is there anything you wanna tell me" sit-down from Angeal.

So embarrassing... from then on I resolved to either avoid eye contact and stare at the ground or attempt to focus on a different facial feature. The former was usually more successful but caused me to look like a bit of an ass.

Not that it mattered much due to my Ice Queen reputation...

"Did you ever dream about doing something and being someone else?"

I noticed his confusion with his tilted head and frowning face. Reluctantly, I admitted it was cute. It reminded me of another set of blue eyes, framed by blond, spiky hair...

"Whaddya mean?"

Zack's voice snapped me out of my reverie.

"I mean, what if we weren't in SOLDIER? What would you do then? Who would you be?"

The ravenette shrugged. "I dunno, never thought about it. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this job."

I stared at the ground, reminiscing on childhood days where I was slightly more innocent, a little more of a dreamer, and a little less damaged.

"I used to dream of helping people in some way. Something to make them laugh or smile or just feel better. Sometimes I still wish I could do that. Take away the hurt somehow; make them forget."

"You mean like owning a bar?"

Surprised, I locked eyes with him. "Why would I own a bar?"

"Well, you wanna make people happy and laugh a lot. That's one of the best jobs to make that happen. Plus, I've tasted your cooking before, and it's like eating a slice of _heaven_."

I turned my head away to prevent him from glimpsing my flushed face due to his compliment. "I just follow recipes well. And owning a bar would mean having to deal with drunk people all the time and their problems. I don't wanna stand behind a counter doing that for hours on end into the night. No thanks."

Zack shrugged. "Just a suggestion. I think you'd make a badass bartender."

"Pft, thanks but still no. Probably something medical-related. But I have a deep-seated fear of needles..."

"Wait, really? How'd you handle the procedures then?"

"I had them knock me out. At least whenever they had to give me injections, anyway."

He whistled in amazement. "Wow, that's really bad."

I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "I know. I don't know how I'd be able to contribute, but I just wanna be able to make people feel better for once instead of hurting them..."

"Hey, we protect people from monsters and people who wanna hurt others. We're not the ones doing the hurting."

I couldn't meet his eyes, not when he was still so blind to the truth of what Shinra was. "... Right. It was just me wondering about a hypothetical, that's all."

He grinned at me. "On a different note, I have thirty-eight!"

I held back a smirk. "... forty."

My partner slumped his shoulders. "Awww! When did you get that much?"

"Umm... just now?"

"I can still catch up."

I grinned back at his hopeful smile. "I bet you can if you try hard enough."

I didn't really care about the bet anymore, it was simply nice to do something with Zack again.

It'd been a while since we'd been able to do anything together, considering the Director and Angeal kept giving us separate missions and assignments.

When we reached the entrance, the doors opened to reveal three Foulanders ready to pounce. I took out two while Zack took out the last one.

My smile brightened behind my mask. "Forty-two!"

He grumbled something, then turned to me with a grin and glowing confidence. "I can still beat you!"

I folded my arms, pondering for a bit. "Hey, Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"How much would killing the special SOLDIER obliterating monsters be worth?"

"Hmmm... how about five?"

"Sure."

Then Zack's cell phone rang, requiring him to once again put it on speaker for me. I nodded my thanks.

_"It appears that you're doing well, Zack, and especially you, Sakura. The enemy forces within Fort Tamblin have essentially been reduced to half. There are still some enemy units roaming about, but you can proceed to the central area if you like."_

The Director's offer was conflicting.

Hmmm...

I looked to Zack, who seemed torn about it as well. I slapped a hand onto his back.

"Don't worry about it, I'll stay behind and deal with the remaining enemy units, you go to the central area, okay?"

Zack nodded in agreement before turning back to his phone.

"Director, I'll be proceeding and Sakura will be staying behind to hunt down the rest of the enemy units."

_"Understood. Proceed further into the fortress. But be careful - the enemy is hurt, but not down."_

That concluded the conversation with Lazard, so Zack hung up and pocketed his phone away.

He turned to me with a smile. "Let's go get 'em! As soon as you're done, wanna meet up at the central area?"

"Nah..."

My partner's face fell. "What?"

I chuckled. "I'm kidding, Zack. See you soon."

And then I turned and jogged away, searching for more enemy units. I heard voices behind one of the walls, so I quietly listened in.

"In the name of Wutai, we must halt the enemy advance here."

I was mostly certain I was listening to a Sergeant addressing his squad.

"But sir!"

"Fort Tamblin will not fall to a paltry force like SOLDIER. The enemy could be lurking anywhere. Keep your eyes open."

When the Sergeant said that and started to walk past, I smirked, opening the revolving wall to slip behind him and right in front of the other two unsuspecting soldiers.

The Sergeant stopped a few feet behind me.

"SOLDIER is a formidable foe,"

As he continued his little speech, I wrapped my hand around one of the soldier's mouths and smashed his head against his comrade's, sending them both to the ground. Thanks to my SOLDIER strength, they were long gone.

I thought about how they could've been saved. They received blunt force trauma to the head, and with my strength, enough to fracture their skulls.

Surgery would've been required, but in the meantime, they could've been kept alive by phoenix downs and Curaga to mend the most severe damage and possibly prevent further fracturing.

All I heard from him at that point was, "Even if it means our lives."

"Huh?!"

I sighed, my hand buzzing from all of the magic I'd used. "You're right, SOLDIER is a very formidable foe. Especially when you're fighting me."

"S-Shiva no Akuma! Retreat! Retreating is a part of military strategy!" The Sergeant called out, running for his life.

I had already begun casting Blizzaga, sending the shards of ice to pierce deep into his back. He collapsed soon after.

I shook my head with a sigh. "Talk about spineless... but... I know he was just trying to up the morale. Stupid Shinra, stupid war, so stupid..."

The ice pierced his lungs, so if it was carefully thawed then... no, water would probably fill where the organs had been penetrated, and he'd drown.

Surgery, again, would be a must.

But phoenix downs and a few hi-potions, and perhaps Curaga, would've sustained him until he could get proper treatment.

Closing my eyes, I added the points in my head because thinking about medical-related stuff was just making me feel worse.

Anything else to think about? Anything? I couldn't keep getting weighed down by guilt...

"Hmm... now I have... forty-four."

_'I wonder how Zack's doing...'_

No, he was fine. He could take care of himself. I needed to focus on my own part of the mission.

Sensing another presence, I whipped around but saw nothing. I swore I felt someone behind me, their eyes burning into my back. I frowned when my eyes caught nothing unusual.

"What the... usually my instincts are never wrong. Plus I have my Sense materia..."

Feeling the presence again, I snapped my head to my right to the top of a wall and summoned another block of ice, shooting it at whatever it was my Sense materia had picked up.

A figure was speedily retreating and blocked my Blizzaga attack, but didn't appear Wutaian, and donning a black full-body suit. Who would willingly get caught in the middle of a war? Was he some kind of last-minute hire by Wutai?

I knew it was a guy judging by his build and physical traits. His head turned slightly, bright yellow-green eyes flashing at me for a brief few seconds before he disappeared behind the wall.

"That's... weird," I muttered, shrugging it off as an odd occurrence before chugging down an ether.

I'd started feeling the drain on my magic reserves after that last Blizzaga.

So long as that weirdo didn't try to kill or attack me or Zack, he wasn't my concern.

I pushed another revolving door to slice down three of the lion-like creatures. Their howls of pain were cut off by the sound of my sword cutting them down.

Forty-seven.

I neared an entrance and encountered three more snarling Foulanders.

Drawing my sword I impaled the side of one, squishy noises from its internal... things resulting from the piercing of my blade, more blood dripping and splattering onto the ground.

I spared the suffering of the other two by granting them quick and painless deaths, also finishing off the last one in a grandiose final swing of my sword.

Fifty.

I reached the entrance to the central area, as I quickly discovered. My cell phone rang for this first time since reaching Wutai, almost startling me.

_"Well done, Sakura. We have successfully occupied Fort Tamblin. I was really only expecting you to get their attention. Most impressive, I must say."_

I smiled behind my mask. "Well, what did you expect from a SOLDIER 2nd Class?"

He lightly chuckled, the sound breathy and a bit staticky over the phone. _"Point taken. Nonetheless, I'm very pleased with the results thus far. Proceed to the next objective and reunite with Zack in the central area. I have heard from him that the anti-SOLDIER monsters might not be too far away."_

I nodded, hanging up and heading through the doors, only to skid to a stop, staring at a looming pagoda. It was very pretty with giant statues on either side and supports of a calming light scarlet. It was a great contrast to the darkened colors of the tiled roofs.

"Wow, I've gotta say, this is impressive. This must be the central area. Now, to find Zack..."

I swiveled, suddenly facing three Foulanders that I defeated with ease, wiping the blood off by stabbing it into the ground for about a minute. I shook my hand tingling with the sensation of magic from my Blizzaga, which had been used so excessively that at this point, the temperature was beginning to drop.

Fifty-three.

I descended some stairs before running into a private and another Foulander. I kicked over the private to slice down the monster and then the Wutaian, which ended the battle.

Fifty-five.

By the time I reached the bottom and right across from the pagoda, I'd collected a total of fifty-nine kill points. That felt wrong to even think, but it helped prevent me from thinking about reality.

Thinking about things clinically and how they could've been saved medically somehow helped distance myself from them.

A wave of disgust rolled through me. Was that how Hojo kept himself from feeling anything while treating other living creatures as playthings to experiment on?

A shrine caught my eye as I walked over and studied it. It was a water shrine devoted to the deity and summon Leviathan. The Wutai worshipped the creature rather greatly.

"Damn... you... SOLDIER..."

I spun, gasping to see three Wutaian warriors on the ground, severely injured but not life-threatening. They looked different... Instead of green and black, or orange and black armor, they were donning silver ones.

It was the Crescent Unit; I'd come across some of them before. I was about to pass them when one of them shot out and latched onto my wrist.

Startled, I whirled around with a hand reaching for my sword.

He coughed slightly with blood dribbling down the side of his mouth, panting and grunting in obvious pain with shaking movements. Sweat lined his forehead from exertion.

"You're... with that... SOLDIER boy, aren't you?"

My eyes widened. "Zack? Yes. Let me guess, he did this?"

The soldier nodded. "He spared us. For what reason, I don't know. It almost looked like... he didn't want to see us dead."

Surprise struck me.

Zack spared the enemy?

But... he'd never done that before.

"He headed for the pagoda. The next time we meet, I will be sure to have both your heads."

I nodded, and his tight grip loosened. "Then I'll be waiting."

The warrior chuckled lightly. "That's what... he said..."

His palms were covered with fingerless gloves that felt soft and silky, definitely made of fine material.

I shook off his hand and silently ran further ahead before hearing a high-pitched voice. I darted back into the closest cover to peer around.

Out of nowhere, a little girl no older than eight was standing at the top of the stairs, blocking the entrance to the pagoda.

How'd she even get here? Was she a ninja too? It wouldn't be surprising, but who in their right mind would let a _kid_ wander around in the middle of a battlefield and play hero?!

She had a black bob cut with a green, white, and yellow ensemble. Seeing such bright and noticeable clothing, I concluded she must be confident in her abilities.

The little girl put her hands, which were curled into fists, onto her hips.

Zack's back was to me, but I could already picture his lost and confused expression that was partially the reason why he was nicknamed 'The Puppy'.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Wutai's greatest warrior! If you wanna go further, you have to go through me!"

My partner had the pleasure of dealing with the delusional child, who insisted on fighting him and bringing peace to Wutai. In the end, he pretended he was fatally wounded, which seemed to satisfy her.

Then she went on her merry way to... wherever she probably lived. Hopefully, it was far away from here.

I decided to walk over to Zack, who stood with an amused smile on his face. "Boy oh boy... You gotta admire that energy..."

"Pretty rambunctious, isn't she?" I chuckled.

Zack looked at me with a smile. "Oh hey! Where were you?"

I shrugged. "Killing things. But I can see you had your hands full yourself."

"How many did you get? I have forty-nine."

"Fifty-five."

Zack's jaw dropped.

I laughed openly. "Hey, don't worry! You can still catch up if you defeat some of those special monsters we were warned about."

He lit up almost immediately. I shook my head, amused by his reaction.

"Well, back to work, I guess..."

I shrugged again. "It's not like work is a total bummer if you know what I mean."

"Yeah."

We ascended the concrete steps to the pagoda, beginning to open the doors when I stopped and gasped as quietly as I could in recollection.

"Oh, that's right! Zack, I think I know what I wanna be! Or, well, what I'd want to be if it wasn't for SOLDIER."

He turned, an intrigued and puzzled frown on his face. Maybe he was also frowning because my stopping us was pointless for something as stupid as telling him what I'd hypothetically want to do for a living.

"Okay, which is what?"

I smiled. "I think I'd wanna be a doctor. I wanna save lives instead of taking them for once, y'know? Well, if I could retire. I'd have to get over my fear of needles, but I think I could manage... maybe..."

After my encounters and thinking about how they could've been saved, I knew it was what I'd wanna do. _I_ could've saved them, under other circumstances. I could've patched them up and kept them from joining the Planet so soon. How amazing would that be?

The ravenette grinned. "That'd be awesome! Then I could just come to you to patch me up for free!"

I couldn't help but giggle at the thought. "I'd maybe give you a discount, but never free! It's to make a living, remember?"

The 2nd's face fell, his bright smile contorted into an upset pout. "What? That's so unfair!"

"Aw, it's okay Zack, I'm sure if you were close to death I'd spare you the cost... maybe."

"Wow, so generous of you! Thanks Sakura, you really know how to make a guy feel special," Zack teasingly replied, acting wounded with a hand to his chest as if he were in pain.

"Yup."

He pouted at me. I bit back my laughter, settling for a brief shake of my head and a grin.

"Ready?"

Zack punched his open palm, smiling eagerly back at me. "Always!"

Putting our jesting aside, we entered the pagoda, with me not paying much attention but getting a bad feeling about it.

Oh, well.

How bad could it get anyway?


	7. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack and Autumn enter a pagoda housing Wutai's specialized monsters, but more trouble ensues afterward that sparks the beginning of the end.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core**

_"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me." -_J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_

* * *

**Zack**

Inside the pagoda was a spacious room that was, admittedly, impressive.

There were thick, tall pillars with flames lighting the tips for illumination, creating a bright glow in the room which bounced and gleamed off of the polished wooden walls. Brightly colored tiles decorated the floor with intricate designs painted onto them.

As they neared the center, there was some kind of Wutaian writing on some of the floor tiles. He wasn't particularly interested, but he snuck a glance at his rather silent partner to see her inspecting it with an adorable frown on her face.

Usually, he was terrified of her on missions - especially ones involving the war - but at that moment, she was just... well, her.

Autumn quirked an eyebrow. "Combat...? Is this some sort of training room?"

Zack turned to frown at her. "What?"

She pointed to the foreign characters. "The writing... it says 'combat'. Or something like that."

"You can read Wutaian?!"

"... Yeah? You could always learn too if you want," her brilliant sapphire eyes rolled while her tone oozed sarcasm.

"Nah, I'll stick to what I'm good at."

Just then, Zack heard a creak.

Some dust trailed down from the ceiling. When he glanced at her, he saw Autumn had already slipped into a fighting position with her blade drawn, shooting a barely controlled Thundaga spell at the ceiling.

He dashed out of the way just as the ceiling opened up, letting two ogre-like monsters down. One donned crimson armor while the other wore forest green.

In their massive hands were menacing axes that could effortlessly chop someone in half. Everything about them was heavy, bulky, and enormous. The entire room rattled when they landed with a _thud_.

Autumn left the safety of the sturdy pillar Zack pulled her behind and approached the giant creatures.

Even from the distance he was at, their stench hit him: a hideous odor of rotting flesh and something undefinable.

Garbage?

He resisted the urge to gag while Autumn crinkled her nose, holding the grip of her sword ever so tightly, ready to fight them as he hastily emerged from his cover.

"Why'd you leave me behind?! You could've gotten hurt!"

She glared at him, warmth absent in her glowing sapphire irises. "Zack, I can take care of myself. It's _you_ who could've gotten hurt."

He grimaced at the cold response and her tense frame. It was strange being around a girl who was as strong - if not stronger - than himself, and who didn't usually need rescuing or his protection. They'd been partners for a couple of years, he had to stop trying to protect her like a civilian or face the consequences.

"Right, sorry."

A wild Thundaga spell singed the hairs on his arms, causing him to jump back and shake them out. She sent him an apologetic look, though it effectively stunned the two monsters for a moment, giving them a little breathing room.

"You must be the anti-SOLDIER monsters I've been hearing about," Zack grinned, eager to face the new challenge head-on.

He saw Autumn roll her eyes out of his peripherals before she charged at the green armored one. He took on the red.

_'I'm gonna win that bet!' _he thought with a renewed determination as his attacks intensified.

* * *

**Autumn**

Leaping up, she swung her sword in an upward slash at its huge body, then blocked an incoming swing of its equally large battle-ax.

There was a loud _clang _as their weapons collided with a metallic ring, even creating some sparks which popped and whizzed off the Ice Queen's cooling blade; an effect from her equipped Ice Ring.

Landing a horizontal slash on its left leg, she dodged another heavy swing and performed a somersault kick, then an ax kick, turning swiftly to dodge again.

Earning a limit break after glowing lavender, she sprung forward with an increase in speed.

Jumping high in the air, she roared while she swung her left leg out in the form of a side-kick to smash into the creature's face, amplified by an explosion.

She twisted in the air and flipped, kicking the creature in the jaw with an upward kick that was also supported by an explosion.

She landed and sprinted forward, dodged the massive tomahawk aimed at her much smaller body, and lithely climbed on top of it, slashing the hand and arm of the creature as she traveled further up the beast with a trail of explosions in her wake.

Finally, when she reached the head, she reared back a fist to deliver the final blow. "It's over for you, meat-head! Meteor Barrage!"

Her fist, in the form of a reverse punch, collided with the side of its face and sent it crashing into the ground from the following explosion. She flipped off of the creature to gracefully land back on the floor.

"Nice try, but I don't go down without a fight."

Zack was taking longer with his, but she knew he could handle it judging by the fact that he didn't have a single scratch on him yet.

While he dealt with his own monster, she waited for him to finish. She remembered she hadn't equipped her Moon Bracer, which kept up a persistent Barrier, and nearly slapped herself for not having it equipped already.

"Okay, now I think I'm all set."

She smiled a little, proud that she'd obtained so many useful accessories through her years in SOLDIER due to her missions.

When Zack finally finished using his limit break Chain Slash she faced him. "So, we both got five points?"

Her partner nodded. "Yeah. So now I have fifty-four, and you have..."

She smirked proudly. "Sixty."

Groaning, he rotated his right shoulder to pop it back into place. "Man! Okay... how about the next ones we make twenty points?"

She shrugged with little enthusiasm, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. "Sounds good to me. Raising the stakes a bit high though, doncha think?"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

"Pft, you're just desperate."

She chuckled at the pout he gave her. After they sheathed their swords, his cell rang, redirecting their attention. He put the phone on speaker for her sake.

"SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack victorious again!"

"You mean barely escaping major injuries because of my quick reflexes? Yeah, I know, you're welcome," Autumn retorted, rolling her eyes in irritation.

_"Good work. Now, get out quickly. There's only five minutes until detonation." _Angeal warned.

"Understood!"

She didn't wanna stick around anywhere near the detonations. The time bombs used were volatile and reeked of chemicals. Her ears would ring and she'd be unable to smell anything else for days.

She continued on as the ravenette called out, "Director Lazard, are you watching?"

With a laugh, he started to run to catch up with her.

Something was off, though. She could feel it.

"Gotta move!"

"Yeah, no kidding."

Just then, two more anti-SOLDIER monsters came crashing down from a trapdoor in the ceiling. One was red and one was blue: Zack took on the red one as she handled the blue.

His confident smirk persisted, much to her ire. "No time to play!"

Autumn instantly fired a Blizzaga spell at the creature. It roared in pain when the ice embedded itself in its tough hide, piercing straight through its armor.

Via her Libra materia, she learned its weaknesses were to Shock, Antima, Mutism, and Poison. Poison was boring, but Shock... well, she could work with that effectively.

_Very_ effectively.

"Okay, let's see if I can do this right..." she muttered, feeling her hand start to tingle from the use of magic and the static forming from her Thundaga materia.

"Take this!"

Volts electricity erupted from her hands toward the monster, who jerked and twitched as its metal plates acted as conduits for the lightning, which was also amplified by the melting ice.

Autumn was already out of sight of the creature, vaulting up over its head to dive down and attempt to stab it right through its armored head. But the monster - despite getting severely electrocuted - knocked her away with one giant hand.

She skidded to a stop and charged forward, darting left and right to avoid its spiked club.

It managed to kick her, sending her flying through the air with a pained cry. She felt her ribs fracture from the impact when she failed to land properly, gasping from the agony of the rebound.

She was so dazed from her rough collision with the floor that she barely managed to roll out of the way of the anti-SOLDIER monster's club, feeling a spike graze her arm. She stumbled and started running, fumbling around in her pockets for a potion.

When she finally got one out, it nearly fell out of her hand from the quaking steps of the monster on her tail.

Downing it quickly and speeding up the process significantly with her Cura materia, she grit her teeth while her ribs healed themselves and turned to block another swing from the club.

Using Shock as an effective distraction, she leaped up to deliver a spinning roundhouse to its face, causing it to stumble to the side with a swaying gait.

She then cast Blizzaga on the floor right next to its teetering foot, making it teeter and slip.

"Going down!" The 2nd called out before her sword glowed a light red with a limit break.

As she advanced on the monster, she brandished her blade repeatedly to shoot out beams of fire that ate away at the armor and flesh of the monster (Ifrit's Cleavers II).

Ignoring its cries of pain, Autumn finished it off with a final strike to its unguarded neck. Ichor spurted out to coat her shirt.

"I am _never_ wearing this again," she groaned in disgust.

Glancing over, she saw that Zack just concluded his own battle and left the monster behind with a satisfying 'thud', only for another to replace it.

Just when she was about to help him, some smaller monsters decided to try and ambush her, except due to her Sense materia she got to them first and destroyed most of them with a shot of Blizzaga.

She heard the anti-SOLDIER monster Zack was fighting collapse to the floor with a couple of _thumps _from his limit break Rush Assault.

While she was finishing up the oncoming attack of the multiplied amount of monsters like Bizarre Bugs (EW she hated them with a fiery passion, why did they crawl and skitter like that?!) and Tail Vaults, the sliding metal sound of Zack's sword reached her ear - signaling he was truly finished - and walked over to the bodies in triumph.

If they both got twenty points from the previous two anti-SOLDIER monsters, that meant she had eighty, and Zack had seventy-four. But add on the extra twenty he just got, that would mean he had...

NINETY-FOUR POINTS?!

And she just got about... well, considering each of the puny monsters were only one point, she had about ninety.

Dang it!

Zack won!

"Gah!"

_Thud._

Autumn whipped around to see the anti-SOLDIER monster arising after backhanding her partner across the room and into a sturdy support beam.

He held his head, indicating a concussion from the heavy blow.

Her throat suddenly felt tighter than before, a crawling sense of panic and dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Zack!"

However, the monsters she still hadn't finished off kept her busy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zack try to lift his sword while the monster stalked towards him, the floor quaking with each step.

Sadly, because she was distracted, a straggler Bizarre Bug used the opportunity to shoot out its Poison Powder, effectively hitting her with its toxins.

She would've been more worried about the poison if it hadn't been for the fact that she'd been protected by her Champion Belt, which negated its effects.

She quickly cut down the creature as quietly as she could, but it screeched from the killing blow into its back and alerted the anti-SOLDIER monster to her whereabouts.

"Oh, crap."

Autumn narrowly dodged the giant palm aiming to squash her like a bug, but the creature was faster than its previous counterparts.

Did she have any Hypers?

Well, now was as good a time as any.

Between dodging and retaliating blows with her materia, she scrummaged around in her pockets for any sign of potions.

She felt a sudden deep, stinging pain in her arm, and glanced at it to see that the mace had cut deeply into her flesh.

_'I'm getting a little clumsy, dammit. Oh please don't tell me I sold them all!'_

She feared the worst until her fingers finally brushed up against a familiar bottle.

"YES!" she cheered, hastily chugging down the contents.

Soon enough, she felt the telltale surge of energy.

Looking around, everything seemed to slow down while she sped up and nimbly dodged the mace aimed at her.

She cast Shock at its face, then focused on hacking at its ankles to disable it.

Dark red blood spurted from where she sliced, causing a slow howl of pain to emanate from her opponent while it tried to grab her.

She instead ran up its arm from the hand - having stabbed it from the wrist - and dragged her blade up behind her while she continued her ascent, leaving a long deep gash in its tough hide. She melted any armor in the way using a Firaga spell that went a little crazy.

That was when the world started to spin.

_'Oh no... no, no, no! Of all times, my magic reserves choose NOW to kick me in the head?!' _She thought blearily as her vision started to blur.

Fervently searching her pockets for an ether, she barely escaped the hand she'd severely injured to ingest the liquid, subsequently driving her blade through the monster's head.

It was blocked by the tomahawk the monster picked up from one of its fallen comrades. She'd only half-finished the ether when her Hyper started to wear off, and as everything around her sped up she started to feel the drain of the concoction.

Just when she was about to slit its throat, she heard her partner groan.

It was enough of a distraction for the anti-SOLDIER monster to finally grab her in one of its gigantic, meaty hands and proceed to fling her across the room with incredible force.

Weakened and lacking energy, she couldn't stop herself from skidding across the floor several times, flipping until she crashed into a wall. It completely knocked the wind out of her, leaving her gasping desperately for air.

Pain exploded in her back and head, leaving her writhing on the floor. It traveled throughout her body like wildfire.

Through the black spots in her blurred vision, she saw the monster make its way over to Zack.

"Zack... run... get... out of here..."

The encroaching darkness in her vision pulled her into unconsciousness and left her order a mere whisper.

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Coolness. Soothing. Mending of skin and muscle...

A Curaga spell?

A hand forced my jaw open to pour something in.

A liquid; bitter, with a slightly sour aftertaste.

Knew that taste anywhere; a hi-potion.

"... sorry... sword... wear, tear, or rust..."

Buster Sword?

What...?

What'd I... miss?

I opened my eyes to see everything as a blur.

So groggy... but the Curaga and potion were doing their work.

I drunkenly brought a hand up to the back of my head, grimacing at the tenderness. I came away with crusty blood on my gloved palm. Not bleeding anymore.

How could it when I got a killer combo of enhanced healing, a hi-potion, _and _a Curaga?

As my head cleared, my vision sharpened. My other senses followed suit, and I found myself moved but still inside the pagoda.

Why weren't we dead?

"You're both a little more important than my sword," I heard Angeal say and looked over to see my mentor in the flesh. "… But just a little."

Oh.

He helped Zack up after a little chuckle and a smile. That bode well; it meant he wasn't fuming at our slip-up. Maybe the 1st-Class promotion was still on the table.

"Thanks!"

"Right, just ignore me, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Not like I saved your butt from getting pummeled to a bloody pulp or anything..." I sighed, about to commence the struggle of getting to my feet until a hand hovered before me.

"Are you sure? I used Curaga and a Hi-potion, but that was a hard hit you took," Angeal commented before I accepted his hand.

My heart warmed. I didn't trust Shinra. I didn't trust the infantry. Heck, I didn't even trust most SOLDIERs.

But Angeal? The man who worried over us like we were his younger siblings or kids? Who always made sure we were okay?

How could I not trust him?

"Yeah I'm sure. Thanks, Angeal. I owe you," I smiled, dusting off the bits of rubble and dried blood from my person as best I could.

"Yes, you do. How long were you out?" he asked while we exited what remained of the building.

"Up to the point I heard you sweetly mention that we're a little more important than your sword. I'm never letting that go, by the way," I smirked, hearing him groan in dread.

* * *

**Autumn**

Once the trio left the premises of the pagoda, they trod across the cold ground, seeing as it was the middle of the night.

Hearing footsteps behind them, they turned to see Lazard running towards them in his usual attire.

Being used to armor and uniform-clad allies and enemies, it was bizarre to see such a bright head of hair dashing towards them in a pristine three-piece suit and somehow unsoiled pure white gloves. Even his shoes still gleamed with polish.

Autumn kind of hated how untouched by Wutai he was.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm not used to being on-site."

Angeal folded his arms. "You didn't have to come."

"The operation will bring an end to the war. I have to see it through personally." Lazard insisted, then turned to Autumn and Zack. "SOLDIER 2nd Class Sakura and SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack."

Both of them stood straight and stiff, their arms at their sides as an automatic response.

"Sir!"

"You both performed your duties admirably at Fort Tamblin. I saw it with my own eyes."

Lazard put one of his hands up to the bridge of his glasses as if he was embracing the smart guy stereotype where he knew he had good looks to match his intelligence.

"Frankly, my evaluation of the two of you is..." He removed his hand from his glasses a bit dramatically, "You are frightening individuals. No SOLDIER member I know has ever taken out an entire Wutai army by themselves, or such powerful enemies as the Crescent or the anti-SOLDIER monsters."

His eyes flickered from her to Zack, who grinned proudly and did his signature fist pump into the air. Autumn remained collected. She didn't like being easy to read, especially not in Wutai. She dipped her head in gratitude, a small smile going unnoticed due to the cloth covering her face.

Angeal nodded in agreement, pride in his posture and expression. "Yes, I was quite surprised myself."

"Your efforts in the Wutai War will be remembered in history. It seems your dreams of becoming heroes have already come true."

Zack was seriously about to either explode with joy or crush the Director in a hug. The brunette beside him remained quiet except for a 'thank you', deciding not to correct him in the fact she never wanted to be a hero.

It wasn't a big deal and she wanted to get on with the assignment so they could get the hell out of Wutai.

"Let's not get carried away, Director. Zack and Sakura still have a lot to accomplish," Angeal paused, then grew a tiny smile. "Haha, I suppose you're right. Zack, Sakura, I hope you'll both continue to excel."

Autumn flushed underneath her mask at the praise. "Thank you, Angeal, I won't let you down."

"Roger that Angeal!" Zack beamed, struggling to contain his laughter towards Autumn's expression.

"Now, let's hurry. Sephiroth is waiting."

"Sephiroth? The SOLDIER hero?" Zack queried excitedly as Lazard and Angeal began to walk away.

Autumn stood next to her partner and shook her head. "Poor Sephy... as if he didn't have enough crazy admirers to deal with already..."

"Wow! I get to meet a hero!" he exclaimed gleefully, but then sharply whipped around with Autumn to the other direction, sensing someone or something approaching with malign intent.

Three warriors in red armor and carrying deadly-looking twin daggers did inhumanly fast cartwheels around them before stopping and surrounding the two SOLDIERs, poised to strike.

Autumn drew her sword at the same time Zack did, running forward and slicing down one of the strange enemies and then another.

It went by fast. The three mysterious warriors were already corpses at their feet in a matter of seconds.

"Zack! Sakura! Come on!" Angeal called.

The duo began to comply, but a tingling sensation at the back of the brunette's neck made her pause. Zack continued, oblivious to her absence.

Turning her head, she caught the rustling of bushes before a darkened figure sprang out from above her.

She hastily cast a Blizzaga spell, dodging an attack from dual blades ready to decapitate her. The person had a visor and mask on, completely hiding his identity.

The 2nd was surprised by his unnatural strength. He used it to his advantage, kicking her in the stomach to blow her onto her back, knocking the wind out of her.

_'Dear Shiva, how many times is this gonna happen?!'_

This was the third time she'd gotten the air forced out of her lungs and she was sick of it.

Gasping for air, she struggled to keep back the dual blades inching closer to her neck by blocking with her sword. Desperate, she brought her knee up to send a powerful kick to her attacker's stomach.

He was sent flying off of her as she hastily sucked in deep breaths. Leaping to her feet, Autumn charged at her assailant, only to see him begin to retreat.

"What the-"

"You're not ready," the male cut her off, sounding disappointed.

The 2nd's jaw dropped, utterly bewildered by his statement. "Excuse me? You just tried to kill me and now say I'm not ready? Not ready for what?"

He leveled his head so he was staring at her. "Mother can't have you yet."

"What the he-"

The figure slunk back into the shadows, uninterested in her exclamations of disbelief. "You're very interesting, Sister. We'll see if Mother was right about you."

"Hey, hold on a second!" She cried out, but he was already gone.

_'What the heck was that about?'_

She was chilled by the strangeness of what just occurred. Who was Mother? Why did he call her 'Sister'? She knew she didn't have any other siblings, so why...?

She snapped back to reality, realizing she was absolutely and utterly alone. "Crap, I need to catch up!"

Sprinting, she reached Angeal, Zack, and the Director to see more bodies of the mysterious warriors and more approaching.

"Take the director to a safe place," Angeal ordered, focused on the matter at hand.

"Then contact Sephiroth," the Director protested, sounding a little more spoiled than pragmatic.

Autumn rolled her eyes just a little. Nothing irked her more than people who preferred the famous and powerful over those working their way up in the world. The Director was coming off as such a person. Not that she'd ever say so to his face.

Well, maybe.

Only if provoked.

Her mentor shifted into a fighting stance. "Zack is more than enough."

Zack jogged ahead a bit, beckoning the director as he did so. "Follow me, Director."

Autumn looked at Angeal. "I assume I'm staying here?"

He curtly nodded.

She turned to Zack. "Be careful."

The ravenette nodded in agreement, running off with Lazard while the two masked enemies charged at Angeal and Autumn.

Angeal tightened his curled fists, glancing at the brunette beside him. "You ready for this?"

She grinned. "Yup. I'm taught by the best, after all."

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

I rushed towards one of the new enemies, hitting away its dagger-wielding hands.

He grabbed my wrist, fingers clenched around the bone. I responded by flipping my hand to grab his, using the momentum to swing his arm over my opposite shoulder, then threw him brutally to the ground. I drew my sword and stabbed him through the chest, yanking it out after a brief twist.

Flecks of blood dirtied my cheek.

I swiftly spun around to slash an upward arc at another mysterious enemy, turning to grin at Angeal.

"All done."

Then, someone I never expected walked forward, mockingly clapping.

"Wonderful performance, though it could never be compared to the arts of LOVELESS."

That voice... the crimson leather coat, the reddish auburn hair, the glowing sky blue eyes... no, I couldn't be mistaken.

"Genesis?" I heard myself utter aloud in complete shock.

Questions ran through my head immediately. '_What's he doing here? Is he responsible for these sudden attacks? Why? What's gotten into him?'_

The redheaded man turned his attention to Angeal.

"My friend, join me. I can't do this alone any longer. This includes you as well. You know what I speak of. Can you really live on that side any longer?"

Angeal seemed very confused, as did I.

"You... you... you asshole!" I yelled, feeling my ire heighten.

The moonlight accentuated his red hair, making him seem a little otherworldly combined with the surprise in his glowing irises.

"Pardon?"

"Do you have _any idea_ how worried Sephy and 'Geal have been?! Do you know how worried _I _have been?! What the hell have you been up to?! And don't quote from LOVELESS as an answer!"

Genesis chuckled. "You know me so well."

"Of course I do! I'm your friend!"

To this, he shook his head.

"Apologies, but you cannot join us. Explaining to you would sacrifice time, and you would not be as willing to come with me as Angeal," he raised his hand as swirls and fogs of magic began to swarm around it.

I knew precisely what was going on, drawing my sword while evading the Sleep spell directed towards me.

"Genesis! Don't! Stop this!" I shouted, veering to the right to avoid his casting.

Charging at the rogue 1st, I brought my sword down to clash with his to use it as a distraction for a roundhouse, which he blocked. I countered by spinning and using a sidekick with my other foot, pushing him back.

Giving him no time to recover, I tried executing a sweep kick, but he leaped up into the air and swung Rapier, which he amplified with magic.

I cut the fireballs away, my blade shimmering a pale blue while I glowed a pale lavender. Brandishing my weapon, I shot out blades of ice so thin and sharp they could probably cut off a limb or two (Shiva's Blade Beams II).

Genesis shattered most of them with his own sword, but one managed to nick him on the arm, leaving a shallow cut and a tear in his leather sleeve. We clashed swords again, ending with me using a back kick.

He caught my foot and threw me to the ground. I rolled out of his way to jab at the back of his head, but he turned just seconds before impact.

Just as I was about to attack again, my Sense materia helped me to barely evade a punch to the back of the head.

My eyes widened at the sight of Angeal, who had entered into the battle against _me_.

"Angeal? What're you doing?!"

I ducked to avoid another punch, only to get kicked in the stomach by Genesis. I vaulted over them to prevent myself from getting cornered and cast a powerful Thundaga spell.

Genesis apparently had some kind of accessory equipped that prevented him from taking any damage, so I switched to Blizzaga - but Angeal got to me first.

With a single right hook, I was sent sprawling to the ground, wiping away blood from the corner of my mouth.

My mentor went to stand by Genesis's side, who was already preparing a Firaga spell.

"Apologies, Sakura. To know if you are relevant in any of this... while I'm almost certain you aren't, perhaps you have something to do with the goddess."

Betrayal washed over me. "The goddess? Is this all just about LOVELESS?!"

"No, but it is intertwined. Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost. Wings stripped away, the end is nigh," Genesis murmured before firing Firaga.

I blocked with my sword. "Didn't I say _not_ to quote LOVELESS?!"

Failing to repel the incoming sleeping spell he aimed at me, a heaviness tugged at my eyes, but I remained standing, fighting it to the best of my abilities.

As I staggered, he blasted me with Firaga, the fireballs slamming against my chest to knock me back. I think I screamed in the process. The end result was I hit my head on a rock.

"Wait... no... Angeal... Genesis..."

In my failing vision, I saw Angeal turn and leave with our mutual friend.

Then I saw nothing except the fading glow of chartreuse eyes as darkness and sleep overcame me.


	8. Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angeal and Genesis' disappearance worries Autumn considerably, and she isn't sure anymore about what she knows and what she doesn't.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. All rights go to Square Enix. Here's to another chapter! :D**

_"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see." -_Winston Churchill

* * *

**Zack**

After escorting the Director to safety, he sprinted back to where he left his mentor and partner.

When the ravenette 2nd neared the area where Autumn and Angeal were, he called out, "Sakura! Angeal! ... Wait, why am I still calling her that? No one else is around."

Panic ensued when he didn't see either of them in the vicinity. With some more thorough searching, he discovered Autumn unconscious on the ground near some bushes.

His heart stopped, throat going dry at how _still_ she was. "Autumn!"

He was a blur, kneeling down and gingerly lifted her halfway off the ground into his arms in a matter of seconds.

She groaned in response and held her head. "Ugh... Zack?"

"I'm here. Where's Angeal?"

She shook her head, only to grimace and press her fingers to her temples. Zack, upon further inspection, saw blood wet at the back of her head matting down her wavy dark strands.

Alarmed, he checked to see if it was serious, only to sigh in relief when he saw it wasn't too bad and it'd probably heal in about an hour or so given SOLDIER's enhanced healing capabilities.

Head injuries, as the brunette herself informed him, tended to bleed more than how severe they actually were.

"Want a potion?" he offered her, hoping she'd take it because he also noticed the scorch marks on her shirt.

Luckily for her, it didn't burn through. That'd have been awfully mortifying. At least for her. He, on the other hand, wouldn't have minded.

"No thanks, I'll be fine in a few minutes," she edged a smile.

Unhappily complying, Zack helped her stand, noticing two mysterious enemies on the ground. He cautiously neared them for a better look.

"What? These guys aren't Wutai troops..."

"I know."

Zack turned to her for answers.

"That's because-" She was cut off when they glanced up from the two dead men and gasped as they sighted a burning, floating red materia a few feet away from them.

There was a bright light that engulfed the two completely.

When they were able to see, they were definitely not in Wutai anymore.

Instead, they were in an unknown land sweltering in temperature. The ground was maroon with stalagmite surrounding it like claws waiting to entrap them. Quickly recovering from their surprise, the two 2nds flitted their eyes around the strange place they'd been whisked to.

A low, menacing growl erupted from behind them, making them turn to see a light green ogre-looking creature with a flaming head and arms. Growling once more it revealed rows of pointed teeth. Glancing down, they saw hoofs in the place of feet.

"A summon?" Autumn murmured in shock.

"Who called it out?" Zack asked without any answer.

The summon let out a deafening battle roar as they drew their swords. She bit her lower lip: a nervous habit the ravenette recognized only because of how often she worried and thought about things.

She knew who owned the summon, but was either afraid to reveal their identity, or didn't want him to know for some other reason he couldn't think of.

She immediately cast Ice and hit Ifrit dead on with a block of accumulated ice. All it really did was get it angrier.

Zack went for its front as Autumn launched a surprise attack from behind. With them working in tandem, the summon was defeated in no time.

They sheathed their swords as Zack turned, beginning to walk away while Autumn suspiciously and hesitantly walked around Ifrit.

Suddenly Ifrit shot back up, readying his next attack. Autumn, seeing it first, gasped and dashed towards her partner to try and protect him.

"Zack!" She screamed aloud while Zack turned, realized he was in danger, and shouted in surprise.

Ifrit shot out a gigantic, blistering fireball towards the two. Autumn used herself as a shield, wrapping her arms around him in the process. However, her actions turned out unnecessary when they realized they didn't have a single burn on them.

Opening her eyes, Autumn grew a noticeable blush on her half-masked face as she pushed away from Zack when he stared at the position they were in.

"Speak of this ever and I'll kill you," She hissed, causing the ravenette to swallow thickly and swiftly avert his eyes.

Gazing up, their eyes settled on a tall, black-cloaked figure with long flowing silver hair and wielding a seven-foot-long katana. The man cut down Ifrit with a single, fatal stroke, sending it bursting into flames before disappearing. It caused the sweat-inducing environment to vanish, giving way to the lush undergrowth of Wutai.

Zack couldn't find it in himself to shut his gaping mouth. "Holy..."

Autumn smirked and waved a hand. "Hey, Sephy! About time you got here!"

Sephiroth sighed exasperatedly, sending a glare towards the female 2nd. "How many times must I tell you to drop that ridiculous nickname?"

"Um, just as many times as I've used it? Why must we always meet with you killing something?"

_What?_

His partner was acquainted - no, 'acquainted' wasn't the right word - they were apparently closer than that.

Autumn was _friends_ with THE General Sephiroth?!

The silver-haired man merely sent her a pointed look. "Perhaps if you were more cautious we'd meet under friendlier circumstances."

"Wha-You know Sephiroth and didn't tell me?!" Zack pouted.

Autumn sighed. "Oh, Zack. Everyone knows but you."

Sephiroth swiftly walked over to the three fallen red-armored warriors, crouched down, and knocked off one of their helmets to reveal the face of Genesis.

"Genesis..."

"The missing SOLDIER 1st Class?" Zack questioned.

The brunette beside him stared in shock. "What is this?"

The silver-haired hero took off the helmet of the other warrior, revealing the face of an identical Genesis.

"They're identical!"

"A Genesis copy..." Sephiroth trailed off.

"Copy? A human copy?" Zack asked astoundingly.

"How is that possible?" Autumn frowned.

Glancing over at her, the Puppy noticed that she seemed a bit... ill. Then it struck him: she must know _Commander Genesis _too!

Holy - why had she never told him she was close with not only _General Sephiroth_, but the renowned short-tempered Genesis Rhapsodos as well?!

"Where is Angeal?" The general inquired.

"I thought he was fighting around here..." Zack remarked, walking around a bit, unable to remain still any longer.

Autumn's eyes remained on Sephiroth, crossing her arms as she tensed. "I was fighting alongside him, but then Genesis came and started talking nonsense. After that, Angeal left with him."

Zack scoffed. "Yeah, after he attacked you."

She sent him a dirty look, accompanied by a short shake of the head. Oh, was he not supposed to say that? It _did_ make it sound a little incriminating. Shoot, did he just label Angeal a deserter too?

"Humph, so he's gone too," Sephiroth stated a bit too bitterly.

Zack abruptly turned to him. "What? Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means Angeal has betrayed us as well."

"We both know what kind of guy Angeal is," Zack disputed while Sephiroth started to walk away. "And he'd never do that!"

The silver-haired general finally stopped and swiveled around gracefully to face them. Panic and worry began to claw its way onto Zack's face. He didn't want to believe the General. He couldn't; how could he? Angeal was more than just a mentor to him, he was a friend and father-figure.

He'd celebrated all of Zack's birthdays for the past three years, taught him values and honor, and saved his sorry, arrogant butt more times than he could even recall. Zack _could not_ let himself be convinced that such a man would become a traitor just because he ran into his renegade friend.

"Angeal wouldn't betray us! You know that! Never!" Autumn nearly shouted, then forced herself to calm down.

This was the first in a long time that he'd seen her so frantic. The situation was starting to spiral rather quickly in a relatively short amount of time. It was harder for her - she'd gotten attacked by two of her friends, after all - one of them being her mentor and role model.

Zack knew that she was probably trying to rationalize everything in her head, as she often did when she couldn't exactly explain or make sense of things.

She'd theorize, predict, and talk herself into a different possibility, much like someone from the Science Department. Well, minus the 'talking-themselves-into-something-different' part.

"Sephy, just trust me when I say that Angeal would never leave us like this! There has to be some other reason!"

Her voice was full of conviction, but Zack found himself doubting.

Why would Angeal abruptly abandon them like this?

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

It took a while for all of us to return to the helicopter. A hush fell upon us, words taken away from the incident that just took place which put my respected mentor into question.

I recalled the mysterious guy who ambushed me, continuing to feel eyes burning into my back, but I couldn't see anything whenever I turned around.

I knew he was there, though; mainly due to my still equipped Sense materia. But I just... couldn't deal with him at the moment. Something was telling me I'd see him again anyway.

And next time, I'd be ready.

I scooted closer to Sephiroth once we were situated in the chopper, who was smoldering a glare into the wall across from him.

"Hey, you okay? I don't think the wall appreciates the intense glare you're giving it; it just might end up with a hole burned through." I edged a smirk, though I was concerned he was more silent than usual.

Sephy sighed, his glare redirecting at me briefly before softening. "I'm fine, just... thinking."

"You mean like Zack is?" I asked, glancing at my partner who was oddly enough just as quiet, sitting a few feet away from me.

The silver-haired general glanced down at the floor. "There is much to consider."

I also sighed, then smiled. "There's probably nothing to worry about. Angeal will come back to us in time. I mean, he _is_ the responsible one out of your little trio. If anything, maybe he joined Genesis to act as an inside man and gain intel to relay back to us! That would definitely explain why he decided to help Genesis win our little fight - he wanted to keep me out of the fray. Well, then again I _did_ get some nasty burns, but Angeal probably knew I could handle it.

"But why did Genesis turn deserter anyway? Did you say something to him? Did he lose his LOVELESS copy? He said something about it being "worth millions" but I highly doubt it. How could he even get his hands on a rare collector's item like that anyway? I bet he threatened the previous owner that he'd scorch them to death if he or she didn't hand it over and-"

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"I... do not know how to answer most of your questions, but I would appreciate a little less... social interaction at the moment." He told me nervously, as if he wasn't sure if he was offending me or not and definitely wasn't trying to on purpose.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, embarrassed I'd annoyed him with my stupid rambling. I usually started talking more whenever it was starting to get too quiet and I didn't want to be left with my thoughts.

"Yeah... sure, sorry! I just... just don't want to think about anything right now, you know? The silence is killing me and-" I stopped talking when he gave me a tight smile and an apologetic yet pleading look in his cyan eyes.

"Right, I'll shut up now."

He smiled, told me "thank you" and went back to staring at the wall.

So, I scooted back over to Zack. How humiliating... I thought I was over that bad habit of mine, but apparently, it came back to haunt me.

Ever since I got partnered with the 2nd beside me, I found myself talking less because he was more of a chatterbox than I was. Perhaps it was the combination of the shocking fact that Zack wasn't being very talkative and I had a lot on my mind that my mouth was moving faster than my brain.

I yawned as Zack chuckled lightly. "Hey, you're not sleepy or anything, right?"

I tiredly rolled my eyes. "No, I'm full of energy after nearly four days of no rest whatsoever."

Even then, my head was bobbing to the side as I started to give in to sleep...

* * *

**Normal POV**

Zack turned his head to his partner who had fallen asleep and was currently using his shoulder as a pillow. He chuckled a bit again.

"And you said you didn't like mushy moments."

Zack stroked her hair as she slumbered, but not too much, for fear of waking her up or activating her scary SOLDIER reflexes.

A light bulb lit in his head.

Should he see if his pranks are still up to par?

However, before he could even lift a finger, Sephiroth spoke.

"If you wish not to anger Sakura, or become the victim of her ruthless rage, I suggest you do not pull any immature pranks while she is sleeping. If you have known her as long as I have, you know she has a horrible temper when her sleep is disturbed."

Zack, who had a smirk on his face, wiped it clean and looked away from the brunette, shifting in his spot uncomfortably. "Er, right..."

Sephiroth gained a slightly amused smile for a few minutes, staring at the two partners. Zack started to fall asleep as well, his head soon resting on top of the brunette beside him.

_'They truly are partners.'_

It was almost cute, but his irritating thoughts overcame his mind, continuing to ponder on Angeal's disappearance and also Genesis'. He tried to put together the pieces, only to find some missing to the troubling puzzle.

He hoped it had nothing to do with Genesis' obsession over that ridiculous poem LOVELESS. The man stated before that he felt it hinted at something important. All of the unanswered questions only left him frustrated and bearing a headache.

It took a few hours, but they arrived at HQ safely enough.

Once they landed, the soft _thud _of the landing and the overly loud whirring of the helicopter woke Autumn up. She shook her head to try and move it but found herself unable to because of some foreign weight.

Frowning, she brought up a hand to feel and see a handful of raven spikes. Sighing, the brunette slowly started to inch away from Zack, only to have his arms wrap around her and use her shoulder as his new pillow. Making small grunts in frustration, she turned her head to the amused general.

"Help? Please?"

Sephiroth merely chuckled. "Your puppy, your problem."

Autumn pouted. "Aw, come on Sephy! Don't be like Angeal!"

He waved her goodbye as he stepped out of the chopper.

Turning sharply, she tried shaking Zack. "Hey! Zaa~ck, wake up!"

He only grunted in response, smiling slightly as he slept away. Thinking of nothing else, the brunette sighed, raised a hand, and brought it down to slap him on the back of his head.

"Hey! Wake up and get off me!"

That caused him to sit up in a startled daze, one hand nursing where he'd gotten hit while he pouted.

"Owww! What the-Autumn, can't you wake me up at least a little nicer? Geez, I just came back from helping end a war!"

"Yeah, so did I! And I don't like having my shoulder getting used as a pillow!"

"You used my shoulder first!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too! How do you think my head ended up on yours?"

Autumn scowled, shoving him fully off of her with a blush creeping up onto her cheeks. "W-whatever, let's just go and file our reports so they'll be out of the way."

Now it was Zack's turn to scowl. "Awww, but I hate-"

"Writing, I know. But it's still part of the job, you've done it for years now. Now let's go before I kick you out myself."

Zack lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay."

He started grumbling about how he hated paperwork before hopping out of the chopper with his partner in tow.

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

After I finished filing my report, my cell phone rang.

"Sakura speaking."

_"Come to Lazard's office."_

"Sephy? Why? Am I in trouble?"

But, the call had ended. I sighed.

"He's as straightforward as ever," I muttered sardonically.

Strolling down to the elevators and pressing the up button, I entered Lazard's office to see him and Sephiroth. I saluted in front of him.

The director waved a hand to dismiss my form. "At ease..."

I settled into a straight posture, hands clasped behind my back and feet together. "So, what is it I'm here for, Director?"

"Your impressive display at Wutai has only added to the list of reasons why you should be promoted. So..." The Director stood and smiled. "Congratulations, as of today, you are a 1st Class SOLDIER."

My heart felt... empty. For so long I wanted to be a 1st Class SOLDIER, but right now... I honestly didn't care.

"Thank you, sir," I fidgeted uncomfortably, "I thought-never mind, it's nothing."

"What is it?" Sephy insisted.

Locking eyes with him, I answered, "I just... expected to feel more elated, sir. This is what I've been striving for since I became an infantryman."

"Circumstances are to blame, it is out of your control."

Lazard nodded in stoic agreement. "It cannot be helped. Go in and change into the 1st Class uniform, and resume your duties as usual. However, due to recent events, you and Zack will have the day off tomorrow to gather your thoughts and process things. I don't want any poor performances due to internal conflicts."

I saluted. "Yes, sir! Understood!"

Then I turned and left into the briefing room, where I received my uniform. Groaning, I went into the girl's bathroom to change, completely unlike what the guys would do.

Normally, from what I'd heard, they changed in the briefing room or some other place. I heard they had dorms, but not a lot of people used them unless they were workaholics like Zack or couldn't afford the apartments nearby.

I glanced down at my new attire. It was a little on the big side, but not so much that it would be a huge bother or anything.

Still, I meticulously inspected the shirt, belts, and pants to make sure none of them had any problems.

Gah, why was I so _not_ happy?

I guess I just really wanted Angeal here to see it, to pat me on the back and say "good job, I'm proud of you".

How anti-climatic.

Why did I even care? The whole point of this was to infiltrate Shinra, work my way up the ranks, and finally get the high-level clearance I'd need to access the info about my heritage, and maybe how to convince Shinra to leave my sister and I alone.

Angeal probably didn't even...

No, I couldn't finish that thought. He did care; he'd shown it through all the training, all the extra work he took on to help me, all of the presents over the past few years even though I insisted I didn't care about celebrating.

Why then?

Why would he attack me and leave with Genesis, who's apparently lost his mind? Why couldn't he just trust me with the truth?

How much did I really know about him, anyway?

Sure, he told me some stories about his childhood, but there was too much I didn't know. Same with Genesis. I was so stupid; never should've let people in, it always got complicated.

Finally satisfied with my clothing and tired of running around in circles in my musings, I sighed and went back to work, taking on a mission to go hunt down Wutai spies that were undercover here in Midgar. Although, after I did, some people started talking to me.

More like _stalking me_.

"Sakura, how do you feel about the end to the Wutai war? Do you feel it was justified?"

"Miss Gains, what is it like to be the first female in SOLDIER? Is it true you were just promoted to 1st?"

"How many people did you kill?"

"What's it like in SOLDIER, Sakura?"

"I-I can't... I can't answer your questions, I'm sorry. If you want answers, ask the receptionists." I sputtered, sprinting away.

Once I was far enough away from them, I breathed deeply, feeling my heart hammering in my chest.

I wasn't supposed to get noticed by the media; I was supposed to be invisible, a nobody. I guessed that it was a bit hard when you were the first female to succeed in making SOLDIER, but this had never happened before.

Their bombardment of questions was so overwhelming I felt like curling up into a ball and breaking down into tears.

Not that I'd _ever_ let anyone see me cry.

A beep notified me of new mail. They were from my fan club: I received new mails about them shipping me with people, particularly my partner, which I nearly barfed at. There were a lot of me and Sephiroth, too.

"Geez... how do people even come up with this stuff? Sephy's not even my type!"

It showed pictures of Zack and I hanging out and enjoying each other's company. I shivered. "To think they got this many pictures of us... it's like we've acquired our own personal stalkers..."

Then again, that was pretty much what fans were, weren't they? At least the super-involved ones, anyway.

I returned to HQ after apprehending the operatives to see Zack doing squats. "Hey, Zack."

He turned his head to me, a smile ready on his lips. "Hey."

"We have the day off tomorrow, just to let you know."

"Aw, man! Why?"

I sighed, placing my hands on my hips. "Because we need a day to clear our heads apparently. Maybe we need it."

Zack stopped doing his squats and walked over to me with a grin. "Maybe... but hey! Guess what I remembered?"

Oh, no. This didn't sound good.

"What? That your missions are piling up? You'd better get to that, by the way. Angeal complained to me about it."

He frowned at me. "What? No! I won the bet!"

I stood rigid in place. Did I just hear that right?

"... you can_not_ be serious..."

Zack smirked. "I got ninety-five points!"

... when did he?

"What? Hold on..." I did a mental count and concluded that he didn't get ninety-five points because the second anti-SOLDIER monster didn't count...

"No you didn't! The second anti-SOLDIER monster didn't count!"

Zack cocked his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"You killed one, and then the other was killed by Angeal!"

Zack laughed. Why was he laughing?

"I killed another one before that! Don't you remember?"

I thought back to before as my eyes widened in disbelief.

Oh...

And I'd done all of the mental calculating before too! I knew he'd won, I guess I'd just forgotten.

"Nononononono, this can't be happening! I did _not_ just lose!" I growled, feeling a little childish.

I hated losing to him. It meant I had to hear about it for the next week or two.

My partner chuckled and jumped for joy. "So! Guess what I choose to get you to do?"

Heaving a sigh, I tried to let the matter go, refocusing on what he was saying.

"What, Zack?"

"Tomorrow, you're gonna go on a date with me!"

My jaw dropped in surprise. "WHAT?!"


	9. The Letter and The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn receives two things from two different, currently absent people in her life whom she wished could give them to her in person.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core**

_"The best gift comes from the heart, not the store." -_Sarah Dessen_, __Lock and Key_

_"More than kisses, letters mingle souls." -_John Donne

* * *

**Autumn**

"WHAT?!"

People stared at the duo.

Realizing she was drawing attention to herself, Autumn grabbed Zack and dragged him into the elevator. She jabbed the 'down' button to the main floor of the Shinra HQ building with her pointer finger.

She turned to face him, newly composed, with a reproachful look. "I don't understand why I was so surprised. This is actually exactly something you'd say. In fact, it's one of the first things I figured you'd want if you won."

He pouted. "Awww, come on, you said it could be anything if it just made them grumble for a while!"

She slapped her forehead with a suppressed sigh. "That's right. Okay, you have a point there."

She pulled off her mask to purse her lips, trying her best to look unaffected despite the embarrassed blush slowing filled her cheeks. "Fine. We'll go on a... date... tomorrow. I like to stay true to my word. But let's have it free from Turks, infantry, and SOLDIER members."

"Why?"

She shrugged, averting her eyes. "Don't wanna be reminded of work on a day off."

"Fair enough." His excitement was clear as day from the way he bounded on his heels to the incredibly wide grin on his handsome face. "I'm so excited! I finally get to take you on a date!"

She groaned, unable to resist hiding her face in her hands in mortification. "Honestly, I don't get why it's so important to you. It's a waste of time, money, and energy."

Zack scratched the back of his head. "Well, what if I just - wait, hold up, is that a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform?!"

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in, glad that his attention span was so horrible. She hadn't wanted him to finish saying whatever he was about to say.

_'Please, stop liking me so much. It only makes all of this harder.'_

"Uh, yeah. Sorry for not telling you, it was all kinda sudden and-"

"That's awesome! We should celebrate! No, I'm just gonna make the date even more memorable! Congratulations!" Zack grinned, looking genuinely happy for her.

"Thanks, Zack. Heh, it only took ending a war, right?" She beamed proudly. "I'm sure you'll-"

He cut her off by pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad you're my partner. You know that, right?"

"Of course! Everyone wants me as their partner. I'm just that good," Autumn jested with a coy smirk.

He pulled away, a pout tugging his lips downward. "Hey, what about me?"

"You can't even beat my record in the training room."

"I'm starting to remember why I don't usually give you compliments."

"Only just now? Oh boy, maybe I should warn Angeal your memory loss is getting worse."

"Shut up!"

Autumn cackled as he lightly shoved her, pouting immensely. A ding sounded, the elevator opening to the first and main floor.

Almost right after they emerged from the elevator, her PHS started vibrating. Thank the Goddess she forgot to turn the ringer back on; after seeing the caller ID, she'd rather not have the ringtone she picked for him blaring on the populated main floor.

"Gimme a minute."

He nodded back with a wink. Deciding to throw him off, she sent him a flirty smirk and wink back. He gaped, causing her to laugh evilly. It was fun messing with him sometimes.

While she occasionally responded to his flirtatious behavior, there was nothing else behind it aside from a desire to get a rise out of him.

She might've been infatuated with him a couple of years ago, but after she became his partner and witnessed his trail of heartbroken girlfriends and hook-ups, she opted not to open herself up to that kind of relationship with him.

"Sakura here."

_"I have recalled something of importance concerning your promotion and Angeal. Stop by my office tomorrow and I shall discuss it with you."_

"Sephy? What is it?"

_"It's something Angeal told me to give you once you reached the position of 1st Class if for any given reason he wasn't present to hand it over to you himself. That's all I'll say for now."_

"Wow, pretty detailed aren't you?"

_"Stop by my office at 1100 hours sharp."_

"11 am? Why so early in the day-"

_"See you tomorrow."_

And with that, the phone conversation swiftly ended. Autumn sighed exasperatedly. "It's like talking to a wall."

"Who was that?" Zack asked, peering over her shoulder.

She flicked his forehead harder than a normal person, resulting in him stumbling back and rubbing the sore spot.

"A cryptic-talking summon that wants to take me to the goddess via the sparkling rainbow bridge."

"Uh... what?"

She edged a smile at his bemusement. "Sephiroth. He wants me to stop by his office tomorrow for something."

The ravenette suddenly became extremely excited. "Really? Luckyyy~ I wish I could go too!"

Autumn snorted. "Of course you would. Anything to meet the famous hero Sephiroth, right?"

"Hey, don't say it like that! Makes me sound all manipulative and desperate..."

"I'm just telling it how it is. What time did you wanna meet up?"

Zack tapped a finger to his chin in contemplation. "Hmm... how about 1400 hours?"

The brunette nodded, already becoming a bit distracted by the sudden summon from the General. "Sounds good. Dress in something other than your SOLDIER uniform."

Her partner frowned, which turned into more of a pout than anything. "What's wrong with wearing my uniform?"

"It's not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just that you wear it basically twenty-four seven. Don't you have any other clothes?"

"Well yeah, but my uniform both looks nice and it's comfy."

"It's fine for normal-wear but for a date? Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I look stylish," Zack winked, making a supposedly heroic pose.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I guess it's only fair since you won and all..."

"Yes! Er, I mean, that's right! I did win and everything, so I get to make all the rules!"

Autumn scowled, displeased by his statement. "Not unless you want me to _not_ show up. I shouldn't have made that bet..."

The ravenette smirked. "Is someone feeling sad because they lost?"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly it's sad that we made that bet to begin with in the middle of a war. Kinda inappropriate."

Zack frowned, suddenly befuddled. He really hated it when she did that; it confused him to no end. Was she disappointed? Angry? Smug? Why couldn't girls just act how they felt?!

"It wasn't 'inappropriate'! It was to keep your mind off of stuff!"

"Is someone feeling defensive?"

She enjoyed watching the confusion spread on his face, perplexed at how his words were suddenly turned against him.

"Uh, I have a loose science experiment to catch. See ya!"

She smirked while watching him flee. "Running away just because I confused you doesn't suit you, hero-to-be."

Vibrations from her phone served as her new distraction.

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

"This is Gains. Sephy, if this is you again then just come talk to me in person! I'm still in HQ you know."

I heard feminine giggling on the other end. Okay, not Sephiroth; unless Hojo did something absolutely cruel to strip him of all masculinity. But I recognized the voice almost immediately as I hurried outside and far away from HQ.

"Aerith?! Is that you?"

_"Sis! I finally got a hold of you again! Sorry if I'm being a bother, I was just getting tired of writing to you. I wanted to hear from you again, it's been so long..."_

"No, no it's fine! You're not being a bother at all!"

Oh, who was I kidding? Anyone could tap into my phone and figure out who I really was. Hopefully, Tseng wasn't listening in on Aerith's line or bugged her phone to record all of her conversations.

I glanced around, wary of anyone who could overhear. "It's been too long, I agree. And I'm sorry, it's just that SOLDIER has kept me busy. I've been missing you and Mom."

I practically heard Aerith smile.

_"That's all right. We miss you too! I saw on the news that you helped end a war!"_

Disgust and self-loathing filled me. I helped end a war... on the wrong side of it. And the worst part was, I enjoyed the fighting. I hated killing them, but the thrill of the fight? The adrenaline that rushed through my veins and filled me with power? I reveled in it.

I despised myself for it all the more.

But what was the point of wallowing in guilt? I _killed_ so _many_ people, boo-hoo for me. It wouldn't do anything for them.

I just needed to keep pushing forward and try to honor their memory.

"Er, yeah, but I wasn't the only one. My partner helped out a lot, too. I don't know why his efforts aren't being acknowledged... probably for publicity reasons..."

_"Oh, I feel sorry for your partner. How can his efforts not be acknowledged after he went out there risking his life?"_

"I know right? But I bet he'll be noticed more in the future. He's a really laborious worker, if not a little on the silly side."

_"Then I bet he'll become famous in no time! You did!"_

I laughed a little. "That was under different circumstances. I mean, I'm the first girl that survived the procedures, even though it was... awful, to say the least. That isn't something that happens every day."

_"Hmmm... well, you never know. Can you stop by the house tomorrow afternoon?"_

"Uuumm... okay, here's the thing: I sort of made a bet with my partner when we were in Wutai and whoever won had to do anything the other wanted. I lost, so now I need to go and do something with him. But how about afterward? About around... 6 PM?"

There was a short pause before my sister responded. _"Sure! That's perfectly fine. But why did you make the bet in the first place?"_

"Uhhh... it was a distraction from the morbid reality of war?" I grimaced at the question in my voice and how it squeaked at the end, my guilt surfacing a tad. "Anyways, I'll see you and Mom tomorrow then, okay?"

_"All right. I'll be waiting outside! Love you!"_

"Okay, bye! Love you, too." I smiled before hanging up as I let out a deep breath of relief.

Everything was fine.

Tseng hadn't tapped Aerith's line or was listening in, considering the fact that I hadn't been immediately swarmed by Turks and probably the entire military, including SOLDIER.

Tensing, I whipped around when I felt as if eyes were watching me, the same feeling I had in Wutai. But there was still no one there. My Sense materia told me otherwise, but as long as I wasn't jumped I guess it could wait... unless whoever it was decided to stalk me.

I made my way down to the slums. Not to see my sister, but to hunt down a hyped-up escaped lab experiment that stole a vital materia. Hojo and his damn labs...

I shivered inwardly, clenching my jaw at the very thought of that monster. _'I will always despise and fear that... thing...'_

Hojo couldn't be called a person, much less a man. There weren't any words that were offensive enough to properly describe him.

I panted, yanked my sword out of the grotesque body of the monster, and retrieved the item.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "I just need to remind myself how much I love this job... that I'm using for my own selfish purposes. Then again, it's not like loads of people work for anything other than their own benefit."

After a long day of filing more paperwork which started piling up and some arguing with Hojo about his deceased "pet", I dragged myself outside and walked home to my apartment.

I had painted the walls a light blue that wasn't too eye-catching or distracting with a focal point wall that was a shade darker.

I also added some white and yellow lilies (using a stencil because I couldn't draw to save my life) to remind me of the ones Aerith and I grew in the church, but they paled in comparison to the real ones.

I smiled, reminiscing of the first time they blossomed, and how they even came to be.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Hey, Aerith! There's a church there!"

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm! I can see it! Wow, it's so pretty! Let's go inside!"

"Why?"

"Because, maybe we could make it our special place, y'know?"

The little girl with big emerald eyes and auburn hair smiled and giggled. "Okay!"

She and Autumn had been playing outside in the slums, traveling around and exploring.

Autumn was trying to get Aerith's mind off of their deceased mother. They'd both been experiencing depression and nightmares of her murder, but because Autumn promised her mom she'd be there for Aerith and protect her, she made her sister her first priority.

While it wasn't the healthiest mindset, at least it helped keep her mind off of her darker, sadder thoughts, and her own grief.

The surrounding slum inhabitants, at least almost all of the kids and adults, were decent enough people, so neither of the little girls had to worry about possible dangers except for monsters.

She sometimes played with the kids from the orphanage, and Aerith did occasionally too, but other times they felt too guilty to play with them, or the other kids got weirded out by their "moments" with the Planet.

They cautiously pushed open the large wooden doors and gasped at the interior.

"It's pretty!" Aerith cried, a beaming smile on her cherubic face and wonder sparkling in her eyes.

The sight warmed Autumn's heart, leading to her blooming a grin of her own.

The walls were a shining white stone with smooth wooden floorboards and piers. A large shallow hole lied far ahead while a stained glass window glittered with translucent colors, casting them onto the floor below.

There were also several other high, rectangular windows filtering in rays of warm sunlight, illuminating the interior brightly.

Autumn danced around, spinning happily at the vast space, then frowned down at the shallow hole. "Should we fill this up?"

Aerith cocked her head. "With what?"

"Hmmm..." Autumn pondered on it, tapping her right foot behind her with her hands clasped behind her back.

She smiled as she lit up with an idea. "How about flowers? We could plant some lilies!"

Her auburn-haired twin beamed. "'Kay! That sounds like fun!"

About a couple weeks later, white and yellow lilies had sprung up in the hole, courtesy of the two little girls.

"Yay! They're so pretty!" Autumn exclaimed proudly as she danced around the flowers with Aerith. "I bet these are the only flowers in Midgar!"

"This can be our secret! How about... we make this our little hideout? Like you said?"

"Sure!" The brunette grinned, giggling conspiratorially with her twin.

**End of Flashback**

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

Smiling to myself, I tossed my keys onto my dining table, kicked off my combat boots, and stripped out of my SOLDIER 1st Class uniform into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

I also grabbed the mail on the way in, so I started sifting through it after I plopped onto the couch, sighing in relief that I could actually sit.

That stupid, hyped-up experiment threw me into a few walls and had me chasing it for almost an hour, so sitting down and fully relaxing felt amazing.

I froze, my heart catching in my throat when I spotted an envelope addressed to me. I recognized the handwriting instantly.

"Oh Shiva, pleasepleasepleeassee be who I think it is!" I nearly squealed, hastily ripping open the envelope to pull out a letter.

Nervous, excited and to be honest a little scared, I unfolded it and started reading.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I'm sorry for not responding to all of your letters for so long and I'm sorry I haven't been in contact. It's just pretty hectic with everything that's been happening lately._

_How are you?_

_I've missed you and Nibelheim. Tifa, too. Do you know how she is? How's everything going? I heard you entered SOLDIER, back when you were 13 and I was still thinking about it. Don't get too mad at Mom for telling me._

_Why?_

_I wanted to join SOLDIER to become a hero like Sephiroth like we talked about, but I don't want you risking your life having such a dangerous job. Maybe if you gave me a reason, I'd be able to understand. That doesn't mean I'll accept you joining, but at least I'll know why you did it. _ _I'm begging you, don't stay in SOLDIER. It's too risky._

_If anything happens to you..._

_Anyways, I'm really sorry I haven't replied 'til now. I hope this makes up for it. I'm doing okay and SOLDIER... I'd rather not talk about it. But just know that I haven't forgotten our little deal._

_Whenever you need me, just let me know._

_-C.S._

I was smiling like crazy by the end of it all, despite feeling a bit irked at his reluctance to accept my status in SOLDIER. He was just worried, it wasn't like he'd ever seen me in action.

My mind was in a daze.

As if making SOLDIER was as easy as it was for all the guys... pfft. But meh, I'd never say anything rude to him. It was just him being overprotective. And, admittedly, sweet. Geez, I really wanted to punch myself for being so... girly.

After living for Midgar for the past couple of years with only men to work with, it was strange to act even a little feminine.

After picking up a pen, I started to write my own reply.

_Dear Cloud,_

_Thanks for writing, I've missed you too. Last I heard from Tifa a couple of weeks ago, she's fine, everything's fine, she's just a little antsy and bored without us around._

_I don't need to give you a reason why I joined SOLDIER. I know that sounds a little harsh, but I'm not ready to explain yet. I'm sorry if learning that I've joined SOLDIER has worried you, but I don't regret joining. I have my own reasons._

_I'm also not surprised you're calling me by my new name now. There's only one female SOLDIER, after all, and it's impossible you wouldn't recognize me. You should watch some of the footage of me fighting, maybe then you won't worry so much._

_I can take care of myself, you know that._

_It means a lot to me that you remember our deal. A lot's happened recently and it's been difficult to process. I took a chance on someone and trusted him, but he betrayed me. I want to say I need you, to have you drop everything just to be here, but that'd be selfish of me. I don't not need you, by the way. I'm just not in life-threatening peril._

_I'm a big girl. I can handle it. But just remember our deal goes both ways. You need me, say the word._

_The world's a rough place. I'm glad I received a letter from you. It makes everything a little more bearable._

_Lovingly,_

_-S.G._

Once I sealed the letter in an envelope, I set it on the table to send it off tomorrow.

* * *

**The Next Day**

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Bee-

A hand slammed down to shut off the irritating alarm which so rudely cut off pleasant dreams.

It was 10:30 AM.

Autumn rolled out of bed with an irritated groan. Her hair was a frizzy mess of tangles.

"Ergh! Why do mornings exist?"

Unwillingly she pulled herself to her feet, made her bed (though a bit sloppily), and took care of her naturally wavy hair. Afterward, she rid herself of her personal hygiene issues.

One would think after three years of rising with the dawn in the military, she'd become more of a morning person. Unfortunately, her body disagreed and preferred remaining a stubborn night owl. No matter how hard she tried to embrace mornings, nothing worked.

"Now, to decide what to wear..."

She had to meet Sephiroth first, so she just threw on her SOLDIER 1st Class attire and pulled on her mask. Turning she spotted the envelope she planned to hand the delivery man on her way there.

"The address was from Shinra, so is he here and I just haven't seen him yet? Usually, the 3rds and 2nds do wear helmets..." She muttered aloud, grabbing the envelope and carefully placing it in her pants pocket.

Going over to her vanity mirror, the 1st pulled her few inches past shoulder-length hair back into her usual high ponytail with her elastic and blue ribbon. Satisfied, she yanked on her combat boots, locked the door behind her, and managed to make it to HQ ten minutes before 11:00 am.

She dropped by the mail service, taking out the letter as she did so. "Here."

The postman behind the desk smiled at her. "Right away, madam!"

Autumn had to keep herself from laughing. No one dared call her 'madam' or anything of the sort.

_'That feels so weird to be called. Everyone else calls me 'sir' or 'Queen'. Although usually, it's in a mocking manner.'_ She thought while heading to the elevator, exiting once it dinged and slid open, and went to Sephiroth's closed office.

On the way, she halted abruptly, once again for the third day in a row, feeling eyes burning into her back. Craning her neck, she still saw no one except for a few infantrymen, but they were deep in their own conversations.

_'I swear there's someone watching me... if it's that guy from Wutai he's gonna get more than just a few punches. Especially if he dares stalk me in Shinra HQ.'_

Knocking on the general's door, she laced her fingers behind her back, sighing loudly and rocking on her heels as she waited.

She started getting lost in her own little world, humming a tune she overheard Angeal hum a few times while he was performing maintenance on the Buster Sword and thinking about a certain blond.

Then the door swung open and she jumped nearly five feet in the air at the abrupt appearance of the towering, silver-haired man.

"Geez Sephy, gimme some warning next time! You'll end up giving me a heart attack at this rate!"

Sephiroth stared at her, an amused smile on his thin lips. "Impossible. Our enhancements would never allow us to suffer such circumstances. Must you hum that incessant tune Angeal can't seem to get out of his head?"

"Oh so it's not just Genesis who can't stop being a broken record?"

He chuckled. "Not in the slightest. Between hearing those same lines over and over from Genesis, and the same melody from Angeal whenever he isn't laser-focused on a task, it's a wonder I haven't gone insane yet."

Autumn laughed while stepping into his office. "You and me both. I dunno though, I kinda like whatever Angeal hums."

"Hmph, you are alone in that sentiment."

She shivered inexplicably when she glanced around the interior.

Everything was so organized, serious, and nearly boring. It was rather disturbing, seeing an office so well-kept. It was practically void of any human sloppiness; as if all uncleanliness was eradicated and replaced by a robotic, orderly nature.

Though Autumn never said anything of the sort to Sephiroth because she felt he didn't deserve to hear those sorts of things... she did feel that he should at least add a little more color to the room. She felt like she'd been placed in a black and white film.

The walls were a plain white, and so were the shades and immaculate, tiled floor. On the floor was a black rug, a black desk, a black chair, black, white, black, white.

The 1st Class sighed in relief when she saw a little color from some framed pictures hanging on the walls of the silver-haired general, herself, Angeal, and Genesis in various poses and locations.

"You're early."

The statement made the brunette smirk. "Yeah, I guess I was afraid I'd get here late instead."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "So, what is it you need to speak to me about? I have a lot to do today, so I may spare you an hour or so at the most."

Sephiroth sighed, closing the door to his office, went behind his desk and pulled out a magnificent, shining silver greatsword.

The hilt was longer than she was used to and slender, fitting her small hands better than the standard-issue broadswords. The pommel was dark silver with engravings depicting a bird in a cherry tree, with an inlaid sapphire for its eye and the grip wrapped in black leather. The crossguard had small silver wings at the ends, not enough to make it imbalanced but a nice touch nonetheless.

She was surprised by the added detail. He asked her once what her favorite animal was. While she couldn't truly pick a favorite, she'd always admired and envied birds, who could fly anywhere they wanted, whenever they wanted.

The fact that he not only remembered but decided to included it in the design... no one had ever put stock in such little things that she mentioned before.

It made his betrayal sting all the more.

The fuller was a darker silver, making the outer blade look like it was glowing. It was a thick blade, not as thick as the Buster Sword, but still wider in comparison to standard-issue. The point was a chisel-point instead of the typical spey or spear point.

For something so obviously unbalanced, it didn't bother her too much. Maybe it was just her SOLDIER strength talking, but... it really felt like it was made for her.

She marveled at the sword, gaping in awe. She was at a loss. No one, not even Cloud or Tifa or even her mom or sister, had ever put so much effort into a gift for her.

Noticing her lack of verbal response, Sephiroth said, "Angeal had it forged to your specific tastes. I wondered why he asked me where to find the best swordsmith in Midgar. Clearly, he had been planning this carefully."

"... does it... have a name?" the question escaped the brunette's lips in a whisper.

Sephiroth, being the superhuman general he was, heard her soft query. "Yes. Angeal named it Wings of Freedom, but you may rename it if you choose."

A smile grew on her soft pink lips guarded by her mask. She shook her head lightly, simply in awe at the gift.

"No, it's perfect. Thanks, Sephy. I'm really just... wow. This is probably the best gift I've ever gotten!"

Before the general realized what was happening, Autumn wrapped her arms around his long waist for a grateful hug.

He edged a smile and patted her back. "You are welcome, Sakura. You told me you were busy, correct?"

A gasp escaped her lips as she pulled out of the embrace. "That's right! Sorry, I have to go!"

As she started to turn to leave, Sephiroth smirked. "On a date with Zack?"

The brunette froze in mortification, then slowly inclined her head to look at him. "How... how do you know that?"

"Word spreads fast in Shinra. Everyone knows," Sephiroth chuckled lightly.

Autumn covered her face in humiliation. "I... I lost a bet, okay? It's nothing more than that!"

"Are you positive?"

The question from the silver-haired general was unexpected, throwing her into a stutter. "O-of course! Why would you ask me that? There's someone-er, I mean I... that is..."

Being stuck under Sephiroth's uncomfortable, scrutinizing gaze, Autumn tensed as words failed her.

"A-anyways, gotta run!"

With her new, beautiful sword on the magnet sewn into the back of her shirt, she dashed out of the general's office.

The man chuckled in amusement.

"Interesting development. Her denial seems genuine, but perhaps she has only buried feelings she wishes to ignore," he murmured, going to sit behind his desk and start on paperwork with a sigh. "If only she could see the same..."


	10. The Date Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack's date with Autumn begins, whether she likes it or not. Maybe she can learn to just enjoy herself instead of letting guilt consume her. Then again, her conscience had always been quite loud.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core**

_"I don't understand dating...and the other things people do...all I know is that you ought to find the ones you recognize." -_C. Joybell C.

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

I rushed back to my apartment, saw it was about 12:30 PM, and threw open the door to my closet after gently placing my new sword against the wall.

Inside were countless outfits I'd worn a few times, or none at all. I was struck with indecision, then shrugged.

"Whatever, it's Zack, who cares?"

I was in the midst of pulling out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt when I got a text from him.

_From: Zack_

_Subject: Date_

_Hey, Sakura! I was thinking about what exactly you'd be doing, and I realized that you probably think you don't need to dress up to go on this date with me. Well, as the victor of the bet, I want you to dress up!_

_Maybe something other than pants and a t-shirt for once? I know there's a girly side inside of you somewhere! Wear a skirt with a nice blouse or even a casual dress._

_Ooh, if you have a schoolgirl uniform that's even better! See you in a couple of hours!_

I blushed furiously as I shut my phone closed. "That pervert! A school uniform?! Why would I even have one?"

Rummaging through my closet more, humiliation set in as I drew out a school uniform.

"... crap, I forgot about my Nibelheim uniform. Why'd I even pack this?"

It looked too small to wear now, considering the last time I wore it was when I was thirteen. Now that I was sixteen and grew in... certain places... I was pretty sure it wouldn't fit, thank Gaia.

Okay, so I needed to wear something feminine?

Uhhh...

I finally found the right outfit consisting of a pale pink and light red floral skirt that went mid-thigh, a thick black belt, a plain, white, short-sleeved blouse, and white wedges with black straps.

I left my hair down because I felt too lazy. Since I didn't have any pockets I was forced to grab a nearby little white clutch that had a clip-on strap to hang over my shoulder, despite my loathing of purses. They were just irritating extra weights.

However, to appease Elmyra and Mrs. Strife - who both insisted I get one in case I wore something with pockets and to be more "feminine" - I got one despite my personal opinions regarding them.

Makeup, for me, was pointless. I refused to even glance at the few makeup items gathering dust on my desk. I always accidentally smeared any mascara, eyeliner, or eyeshadow I wore since I'd forget it was there. Thanks to my enhancements my skin was clear, so foundation, blush, and other crap were unnecessary.

Grabbing my keys, I stepped out the door, secured it again, and started walking away. Wait... did Zack and I ever make a rendezvous point? I pulled out my phone and mailed him.

_To: Zack_

_Subject: Date_

_Hey Zack, where should we meet up?_

After I pressed 'Send' I headed out of the apartment complex.

Feeling self-conscious I tugged at the hem of my skirt, but it really did nothing for my nerves or the uncomfortable amount of leg showing. Hearing the jingle from my phone I flipped it open to see a reply from Zack.

_To: Sakura_

_Subject: Date Rendezvous_

_How about the fountain in the middle of Sector 8?_

I edged a smile before responding.

_To: Zack_

_Subject: Confirmation_

_Sounds good. See you there._

I walked down the street, nearly passing in front of Shinra HQ to get to Sector 8. There was a handful of infantrymen patrolling the streets, but thankfully they didn't know my face, or how I was involved with Shinra.

If they did, there'd be problems.

I saw Zack in his SOLDIER 2nd Class outfit standing near the fountain where he said he'd be.

"Hey, Zack."

He turned to grin at me, meeting me halfway. "There you are!"

I frowned when he looked me up and down. He wasn't particularly leering at me, rather observing how I transformed from a tomboy SOLDIER to a girly-ish teenager. I was surprised myself, and pretty embarrassed, but I didn't let it show.

"Wow, you look amazing! You should dress like this more often."

I felt my cheeks get hot. "Thanks but no. Not exactly practical, and I'd have too many eyes on me."

Fighting in a skirt sounded like the most ridiculous thing ever. And I didn't need the guys in Shinra trying to stare up it.

"Hm, you're right, I'd never get you alone ever again. _And_ I dunno how I'd feel about everyone trying to get with you."

I rolled my eyes. "They wouldn't try to 'get with me'. They'd start feeling bold though, and I'd rather have them fear me and leave me alone."

"That's..." he stared at me with genuine concern. "... different."

I knew he wanted to say something quite _different_ than what he said, but after watching him war with himself and giving him a warning glance, he conceded to leave it be.

"So, what did you have in mind?"

Zack grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

**Zack**

The 2nd Class took Autumn's hand into his, strolling through the streets of Sector 8 despite her startled reaction as she instinctively tried to pull away. It only made him hold on tighter. She shifted uncomfortably, clenching her jaw.

After hearing her sigh, Zack looked at her to see how uncomfortable she was and reluctantly released her hand.

Autumn snapped her head to him in surprise, but he just continued to grin while leading the way.

"Seriously Zack, where are you taking me?"

"Are you hungry?"

A somewhat loud rumbling answered him, prompting him to laugh. "I'll take that as a yes."

Autumn blushed again. "Hey, it's not my fault. I woke up at 10:30, and Sephiroth wanted to see me at 1100 remember? I didn't have time to eat."

"Wow, do you always sleep in so late?"

Usually, she was an early bird.

The 1st shrugged. "Normally when I have a day off and occasionally on the weekends. I'm usually up with the sun for work, but even after serving in the military for three years, I'm a night owl. My body physically rejects the idea of embracing early bird life."

"Huh, never knew that about you..." he trailed off, frowning with a troubled furrow to his brow.

Autumn shrugged again. "Why would you? It's not like we've had any reason to talk about our sleep schedules of all things."

Zack kept talking to her, but he noticed that her attention was elsewhere. She was very alert and glancing around as if expecting someone to jump out at her.

"You okay?"

She blinked, looking up into his glowing sky blue eyes full of concern. "Huh?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

She waved a hand, forcing herself to remain facing ahead. "Don't be stupid - ghosts don't even exist."

He wasn't stupid enough to not notice how blatantly she avoided answering his question. But, the point of today was to enjoy the date, not to argue. His big mouth got him into too much trouble and far from her good graces as it was.

They finally stopped in front of a restaurant called "LOVELESS". Which coincidentally happened to be on LOVELESS Avenue.

Autumn groaned. "They made a restaurant out of it?! Were the poem and play not enough? Do people never get tired of the same concept over and over again?"

He didn't know much about LOVELESS so he was barely aware that there was even a play based on it.

He scratched the back of his head, feeling himself warm from embarrassment. "Yeah, I know, it's pretty dumb. But the food here is really good, promise."

The brunette only let out a small sigh. "I'll believe it when I taste it."

Zack didn't think it was that bad, honestly. She seemed to agree once they entered, the disapproving scowl disappearing from her face to relieved indifference.

A chandelier hung down from the ceiling, emanating a small sense of elegance. A natural look filled the room with a flower sitting at every table, pastel yellow walls that weren't displeasing or too distracting, and smooth wooden floors and tables carved out of cherrywood.

The only downside was that there were quotes and framed pictures of everything and anything to do with the poem, including the play.

A waitress walked over and smiled at them. "Hello, welcome to the LOVELESS restaurant! Let me escort you to your table."

She seemed friendly enough for the job, though her strawberry-pink hair pulled back into a side ponytail and crystal blue eyes reminded her of a certain commander...

"Yeah, thanks," Zack smiled forcefully, a bit nervous at the resemblance to his former CO.

She leaned closer to whisper, "Is it just me, or does she look like...?"

"Yup, I think it's her sister."

"Seriously?! I thought she was a teacher down in the slums!"

"She is, but the pay isn't exactly _good_."

"Oh, right. Well, I guess I'm having brunch again..." She sighed as she sipped at her cool glass of water, trying to keep her stomach from growling again, not even minding the condensation soaking into her hand as she did so.

"That's what you get for sleeping in so much!"

Autumn pouted. "Not my fault I was tired."

Her partner grinned. "Yeah, especially since you were napping the entire trip home."

"Hey, that was an emotionally _and_ physically exhausting mission overseas. Being a SOLDIER has lots of perks, but in the end, we're still human; we've got limits. And my body insists on staying a night owl who hates mornings."

"Hah, whaaatever. You decided what you're getting yet?"

"Hmm... I'll have the Gift of the Goddess."

It was just a summer salad with a small side of chicken Alfredo pasta, but it seemed appetizing. And she was always a sucker for anything involving chicken Alfredo.

Zack glanced at the menu, instantly deciding. Just then the waitress headed over to their table to get their orders. "Hello, have you two decided on what you're ordering?"

The 1st Class turned. "Yes, I'll have the summer salad with Alfredo pasta and cream sauce."

The waitress frowned slightly. "Do you mean the Gift of the Goddess?"

Somewhat flustered, Autumn answered, "Well, yes, but I just thought it sounded..."

"Weird? Embarrassing? Ridiculous?"

"Eheh, pretty much."

"It's okay, it is pretty strange. But the pay is good at least," the waitress giggled.

Her name tag read 'Serah'.

The 1st Class smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

Serah scribbled down the order and looked at Zack. "And what would you like?"

"I'll have the Trio of Friends jumbo lunch special!"

Autumn's jaw dropped as the waitress looked at him in surprise. "A-are you sure? It's a lot of food..."

"Yup! I can handle it no prob!"

She glanced at him hesitantly, jotting down the order. "Alright..."

Fast-walking, Serah meandered around the restaurant to hand it over to the cooks.

The brunette across from him sighed. "Does your stomach even have an end? Or is it just an empty, bottomless pit?"

"Hey, I'm still growing! I need a lot of food if I wanna grow right."

"Knowing you you'll probably ask for seconds, won't you?"

Before he could answer, their food arrived. Autumn's summer salad and chicken alfredo were rather appealing, but as Zack received his food, Serah struggled a bit and the huge plate of food in many dishes landed on the table with a _'thud'_. It was mouthwatering, but so overwhelming no one would've wanted to eat it.

Unless, of course, it was him eating it.

He was ready to chow down!

There was a large medium-rare steak in the middle surrounded by toast, roasted potatoes, gravy, biscuits, a couple of sandwiches, fruit, and some vegetables.

She gaped as he grinned again. "Yes! Ah man, I've been starving!"

"Yeah, I can see that."

With wide eyes, the brunette tried to ignore it as best she could, beginning to eat her pasta while Zack scarfed down a portion of his plate. He was content with the silence, but he caught Autumn fidgeting uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye while taking small bites of her food.

Once she finished her pasta she took a break from her food to stare him squarely in the eyes, setting down her fork on the folded napkin beside her plate. "Zack, why'd you wanna go on a date with me?"

He paused from his almost finished lunch and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why exactly, of all things you could've done when you won the bet, did you choose to go on a date with me?"

"Hmm... let's see... because you never wanna go on a date with me?"

Autumn scowled, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "Come on Zack, there has to be a better reason than that."

He shrugged, feeling his body involuntarily tense from the uncomfortable line of questions. "Not really. How about we just enjoy the date?"

His suggestion was evidently him refusing to take the bait, but she persisted.

"Seriously, Zack. Tell me. Why me? Why not some other girl?"

"And I'm telling you there's nothing to tell."

The brunette relented, though she was evidently unhappy that her questions remained unanswered. "Fine. Are you done yet?"

"Nah, not full yet."

Zack smiled while she sighed, then began nibbling on her salad.

* * *

**Autumn**

She wished he'd just answer her questions.

Or maybe he already knew she wouldn't like his answers if he responded. Zack was dense in many ways, but they'd known each other long enough to read one another to an extent. He was probably already aware that his affections toward her were unrequited.

Which only confused her further. Why take her on a date if he knew she didn't view him that way? Did he think he stood a chance just because she was single?

There was too much going on in her life to even _entertain_ the idea of dating. Not only did it freak her out because she knew absolutely nothing about it, but it'd only distract her from her current goals.

Autumn crunched frustratingly on some of her salad, tossing around the leaves, croutons, and shredded carrots with her fork.

She didn't have time for this nonsense, at any rate. She didn't deserve any of it either. After all, joining SOLDIER was supposed to be a means to an end, not a true commitment or passion. That went for the people she worked with, as well.

Attachments were harder to prevent than she imagined, however.

She just couldn't help herself, could she? Even after swearing to herself she wouldn't get anyone else involved, she somehow garnered the attention of three infantrymen, one Zachary Fair, an eccentric Turk, and the three legendary 1st Classes.

She sucked at the whole 'lone wolf' thing. She really, really did.

She decided to distract herself from how bad she was at being an introvertive, secretive infiltrator by glaring at the boy in question, who just finished his meal and was clearly about to order more.

"That's enough food, Zack."

"Aww, but I-"

"It's enough."

Scowling in disappointment, he slumped back into his seat. "Man! But I'm not full yet!"

"You don't have to be completely full in order to be satisfied. Give your stomach a moment to settle and see if you still want more food. Food expands, you know."

"Okay, fine..." he grumbled, looking down at his lap with a pout.

Since she wasn't done with her salad yet, the young man across from her sat impatiently while she finished it.

As soon as she set down her fork, he stated, "I'm still hungry."

She groaned. "Okay, fine. Order another helping."

The 2nd finished his second helping as soon as he received it and declared he was finally satisfied.

"Geez, I swear you eat more than Palmer and Heidegger combined. Odd how you haven't obtained twice their gut size..." she muttered, popping a mint into her mouth while pulling out her wallet.

She smiled inwardly at her insult directed towards the two obese employees of Shinra, who had surprisingly high status despite their lack of intelligence or dignity.

Zack reached across and gently placed his hand over hers. The brunette looked up at him in confusion.

"It's okay, I'll pay."

"But-"

"I got it, trust me," he winked, sending the 1st into another flustered and blushing state.

"I-no, we'll split it. I have a job and money to spend, too. And I've always hated the thought of being in debt to someone, you know that."

He put his hands up in surrender, an amused smile playing at his lips. "Alright, alright, I yield! We'll split it."

"Good."

_'These actions - the winking, the hand-over-hand thing, all of it is so confusing. _Zack_ is confusing. I get so embarrassed; I don't know what to do and blush. I hate not knowing what to do, it's even more humiliating...' _she mused, mentally kicking herself.

Zack looked around, his eyes finally settling on Serah. "Hey, Miss!"

She turned her head, smiled, and headed over to them. "Are you ready to pay?"

"Yup. How much was this all together?"

"88 gil total."

Zack shrugged. "Sounds good, I recently got a raise and missions have been pretty prosperous."

He stood from his seat with Autumn following, going to the counter near the door to pay. It was strange he didn't try hitting on Serah even once, but maybe it was because she was a certain Sergeant's precious younger sister.

Or because of the engagement ring on her finger.

Maybe both.

The ravenette fished out the gil from his wallet, waved goodbye to the man behind the counter, and left with the brunette.

"Is it cool if I hold your hand?"

She tensed, avoiding his piercing gaze. "Well... I don't want people to get the wrong idea."

"Whaddya mean? It'd look like we're on a date, which we are!"

She sighed, staring down at her calloused, scarred hands. "I've... never really been on a date before. Aside from a couple of best friends, and some family, I don't like hand-holding either. It's uncomfortable for me."

The 2nd turned his head to look at her in surprise. "Really? You've never been on a date? Ever?"

"Well, there was one time a few years ago... but it was more of a goodbye than anything so I don't really count it."

She was careful not outwardly express it, but internally she was berating herself for being so careless and stupid.

"Really? Who was the lucky guy?" Zack's tone was somewhat cheerful, but the brunette beside him could tell he was slightly jealous.

"Nobody you need to know about."

"Aw, come on! Are you really gonna be that uptight about your past?"

The 1st frowned at his pouting. "It's not being uptight, it's being... protective."

"About what? Why?"

She sighed, gazing at him with narrowed, defensive cold eyes. "This is supposed to be a date right? I doubt that involves interrogating one another and prying into their pasts."

The 2nd shook his head. She took it as a physical representation of warding away his line of questioning.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, what exactly do you do on a date? Like, where do you go besides a restaurant?"

"Well, usually on the first date you go to the movies or take a stroll in the park or something. Technically there is a park in Midgar but it's in the slums. So, movie it is!"

Despite Zack's ignorance of her knowledge of the slums, Autumn couldn't help but wish he already knew she was aware of the park in the dismal area below.

The playground became particularly special to her. She'd instantly favor heading to the park rather than watch a movie. She, despite her coldheartedness and brash nature, was more sentimental.

Alas, the 1st refused to tell him, for fear of more investigative questions on her foretime in Midgar. She was just glad he refrained from grabbing her hand.

"What movies are there to watch?"

"Well, there's Master of Retaliation, Fatal Impact, Apparatus..."

"Are they all either action movies or horror movies?"

Zack scratched his head. "Yeah... not much else out at the moment."

"Hmmm..." The 1st thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Horror movie!"

She noted he looked a little too excited at her selection. Was he gonna try some stupid, outdated, cliche date thing on her? She gagged at the thought.

Well, it wouldn't work on her. She happened to enjoy horror movies.

"Alright, so which one? There's Apparatus, The Void, Underneath, aaannndd... The Cycle."

"Ooh, they all sound interesting... hmm..." she tapped her chin in contemplation again. "How about the second one?"

"The Void it is!" Zack grinned, still far too eager for her liking.

Autumn fast-walked down the sidewalk in an effort to get away from him for a bit. She was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic and pressured due to his expectations of her reciprocating whatever he was feeling.

They were heading to the same place, of course, but she needed a little time by herself, no matter how small it was.

Having a date with Zack was awkward and new for her. They were friends; she didn't see him the way she was beginning to think he saw her. To be honest, it frightened her. He kept pushing to do things she didn't feel like she'd enjoy - watching a movie over visiting a park, for instance. Granted, it wasn't like she really gave him any helpful info for a date.

Sure, maybe he'd understand better if she told him what was going on on her end, but she also feared she might spill out more than she intended. Dating and romance were uncharted waters that she didn't know how to map.

_'I can't get closer to Zack. It isn't fair to him; he deserves better. We're already friends, and while maybe under other circumstances things would be different, I'm not here for friends or romance...' _she thought while chewing on her lower lip anxiously.

"Hey! Wait up!" her date called, taking strides to catch up with her.

She mentally cursed their difference in height, his long legs taking steps twice as large as her own.

"What's up with you? Is there something wrong?"

The 1st sighed in irritation, not bothering to look at him and see the concern in his glowing sky blue eyes. She felt like she was suffocating under his attention.

Honestly, could she not have a little bit of time to herself?

"Does there have to be something wrong for me to spend at least a little time alone?" She snapped, tapping her foot while she stared at the dirty ground.

Zack reeled back as if he were slapped, mood turning a bit somber at her ire. "Sorry, I was just concerned."

His reaction calmed her down a little, though she remained sarcastic. "Does concern include sticking by my side like a child?"

He grinned a little at her lightened tone. "Only if it's you."

She averted her eyes, biting her lower lip in guilt. "Whatever."

The 2nd could never know the truth. Besides, the entire time they'd spent together on this 'date', he hadn't really clued in on what interested her. But again, that was mainly her fault for trying to keep as much a secret from him as possible. She even had a chance to suggest what to do next but defaulted to him instead because she felt so inexperienced.

Still, it felt like he was trying to treat her as someone else, someone more romantic and sensitive.

_'Do you even see me? Or do you just see what you want to see?' _she wondered, gazing at his cheerful demeanor and glowing eyes.

It didn't really matter. She was in SOLDIER to get powerful, get information, and then leave Shinra unable to come after her and Aerith.

Her family came first.


	11. The Date Part 2; Her Better Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn and Zack's date comes to a close, with some conflicting signals exchanged between the two. Zack takes on a personal mission and Autumn heads down to the underbelly of Midgar for a family visit.

**Disclaimer: FFVII Crisis Core doesn't belong to me. *weeps***

_"You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you." -_Audrey Hepburn

_"Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark." -_Barbara Alpert

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

As I fast-walked through the streets to the theater I decided to think about the movie instead of my darker, self-deprecating thoughts.

'The Void' sounded interesting. Zack gave me some details about it from what he'd seen of the trailer.

I kind of liked horror movies; they gave off a sense of fear and dread even though everything's fake. And usually, the ones I went to weren't done right so I just laughed.

We finally reached the theater and paid for our tickets. As we strolled inside I glanced around the interior, not really paying attention. Zack started spouting stuff about food. Looking up I saw him ready to pay, cheerful as ever, especially since he was about to get more to eat.

"Uhh, can I have a jumbo-sized popcorn with butter, a box of those chocolates there, a large soda, and medium nachos?"

The employee behind the desk paused in surprise by the immense amount of food but nodded and complied, accepting his payment after he told him the amount of gil it rounded up to.

After he handed him everything, the concession salesman asked, "And would you like anything else?"

Zack locked eyes with me. "Did you want any-"

"I'm good, let's just go inside," I interrupted, eager to get away from all of the gross junk food.

He shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."

We walked a while until we found the designated room. Thankfully we came when the previews for other movies and such were still running, so we had plenty of time to get ourselves situated.

I chose to be up higher in the seats, about in the middle, and made Zack follow me. He then started to complain.

"Hey, why don't we sit closer to the screen?"

"Where we are is perfect," I whispered back.

"But sitting up closer is so much more exhilarating! Besides, we're enhanced! It's not like it's actually going to affect our hearing or sight."

"We're _enhanced._ It'll just affect us even more by that logic, and I'd rather not risk going blind or deaf."

My date/partner finally gave up and slumped into his seat.

"Fine..." he grumbled.

I allowed a little smirk of triumph slip onto my features. "Glad you could listen to reason for once."

"Oh haha, you're hilarious."

Seeing his pout and hearing his upset tone, I couldn't help but feel a little pity for him while I chuckled.

"I'm just kidding!"

He grinned at me, nudging me with his elbow. "I know, just messing with ya. Y'know, it's moments like these that prove you're no Ice Queen."

"Hah! No, I'm still _the_ Ice Queen, it's just not all that I am."

"Whatever you say~" he sang, not believing me.

I huffed, turning my attention to the massive screen. After a while, I actually felt like having some popcorn, so I extended my hand into the large bowl sitting between us. When I saw his hand dash in quickly after mine I speedily yanked my hand out that contained the popped kernels.

Zack pouted and looked back at the movie dejectedly, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

I watched blankly as my 'date' gasped, watching the main character Evan nearly scream at the sight of a detached ear while innocently strolling past a park.

"Zack, how long is this movie again?" I whispered again.

"Uh, about two and a half hours, why?" he frowned.

I shrugged. "Just wondering."

The rest of the movie involved the main character Evan finding disturbing, mutilated bodies that eventually started talking to him with creepy, eerie music playing. They talked about 'The Void' and how nothing was going to get in its way and take the best parts of earth for food - living essences, to be exact, and turn them into parts of The Void.

Detached body parts and mutilated bodies chased him until he locked himself in a locker room, only for The Void itself to appear out of nowhere and have Evan fall back into a large puddle of blood.

"AAHHH!" I heard Zack scream at the same time as the main character and grab onto me.

I pried his hands off my arm, staring at him stoically. "Zack, seriously? You're a SOLDIER for the Goddess' sake, get it together."

"I have it together!" he defended, though his volume was undesirable and earned us some shushes.

The movie ended with Evan disappearing with The Void after finding a way to stop it, sacrificing himself for the sake of everyone else. And no one would know. Only the ending showed a little girl looking curiously at a little finger, crusted in dried blood, with a faint whisper saying "The Void is above death...". It was a bit depressing, but overall a somewhat interesting movie.

Needless to say, my legs felt weird as I stood and stretched while the credits rolled. Zack now had a pile of trash to take care of, so I decided to help him out. Well, also since he was still scared.

"Phew, that was... more intense than I thought it'd be," he grinned nervously as I picked up the empty popcorn container.

I rolled my eyes. "It's a horror movie, of course it was."

"So... you weren't scared? Not even a little?"

"Of course not. All it boils down to is special effects, creepy music, and good acting. None of it is real, so why should I be scared?" I replied, hearing him mutter something that sounded a lot like "damn, that backfired".

After discarding the trash and exiting the theater, I pulled out my phone to check the time. 5:30 PM... well, I had thirty minutes and it only took fifteen to twenty to get to the slums, so I was good for another ten minutes.

"Hey, Zack?" I murmured, stopping in my tracks.

"Hmmm?" He hummed, turning to face me.

"Sorry I didn't tell you this earlier, but I have somewhere I need to be in about ten minutes. Did you have anything else planned?"

Zack tapped his chin thoughtfully before crossing his arms. "Huh, well, there was one thing..."

I cocked my head with a frown tugging at my lips. I really hoped it was nothing too... over-the-top. I wouldn't know how to respond or what to make of it.

"But it'll only take a couple of minutes or less," he grinned, flashing me a wink.

"Zack, can't you just tell me?"

"Be patient! Close your eyes."

I pursed my lips. "Why?"

"Can you please just do it?" Zack nearly sighed.

I grumbled, feeling my impatience peak. "Okay, fine."

Shutting my eyes I heard Zack's heavy combat boots thumping against the ground, stopping a few feet in front of me.

I felt him reach for one of my hands, which I instinctively jerked away.

He reached for my hand again, turning it so that my palm was face-up. This time I allowed the contact as I felt a couple of small items being placed into my open palm. Zack then wrapped my fingers closed around whatever he had placed in there.

"Okay, now you can open them!"

Obliging, I slowly lifted my eyelids to see Zack smiling cheerfully at me. I edged a smile back until curiosity overcame me and I brought my hand closer to me.

Pulling away, I stared down with a small gasp. On my palm was a beautiful pair of earrings.

They were on the subtle and small side, which I found satisfying seeing as how I never did like anything flashy or fancy in terms of jewelry.

The part that went through the ears (is it called an ear wire?) was a shining silver that curved down to a small white teardrop, which connected it to a silver-lined heart filled with vine designs of green, gold and silver to coincide with the filled heart color of a pale blue.

I grew a full smile as I met Zack's gaze. "Zack, they're... really nice."

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously. "You like 'em?"

"Yes, but what're they for?" My brow furrowed in suspicion.

He beamed. "It's a way to say congrats on your promotion! I told you I'd make this date more memorable."

I drew him into a grateful hug. "I appreciate it, Zack."

He immediately hugged me back. "You're welcome."

Pulling away I checked the time on my phone and saw it was about time to go. Well, it was only five thirty-six but I might have overestimated the time it would take to go down to the slums from here.

"You have to go now, right? You said you had somewhere to be," Zack's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, yes. Thanks for these, Zack," I smiled, putting on the earrings.

A tiny weight tugged at my earlobes but quickly adjusted. I knew I needed to give him something in return because I hated being in debt to people. There was only one thing I could come up with and I didn't like it, but it would make him happy...

I went up onto my tiptoes to peck Zack's cheek before turning to run away, unable to see the look on his face. However, I did wave and shout out, "Bye Zack! See you later!"

My heart raced with an incomprehensible feeling inside of me as I hurried to the train station via a cab. The station was all the way in Sector 1, after all. Was it fear? Humiliation? Enjoyment? I couldn't tell as I tried to distract myself by watching the train pull in. Hopefully, Zack hadn't heard the difference in my heart rate.

A prickling feeling at the back of my neck told me someone was watching me again, but there was still no one there, and it was incredibly frustrating.

The steam billowed out in large quantities as the locomotive ground to a halt. The doors slid open, allowing swarms of people off to brush past me.

I boarded the train, seating myself by a window to gaze outside.

_'I hope I'm not late...'_

* * *

**Zack**

The 2nd Class stood there in a daze, watching his date/partner hurry off with her back to him. She waved a hand without looking as she shouted out, "Bye Zack! See you later!"

He couldn't help but wave in return, even if she couldn't see it. Zack brushed his fingers against the place where she had kissed his cheek, grinning widely like the Cheshire Cat.

"Yes!" He cheered, pumping a fist.

"Excuse me, mister?" A child's voice uttered.

"Huh?"

Zack looked down to see a little boy looking up at him hopefully.

"You're a SOLDIER, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Why? Do you need help?"

The ravenette kneeled down to him. To most, there didn't appear to be much of a difference between the two in behavior. If anything, the child was acting more mature than the eighteen-year-old SOLDIER boy who was jumping for joy like it was Christmas over a brief kiss on the cheek.

He nodded. "My sister left a few hours ago to buy groceries, but she still hasn't come back. I tried calling her but there was no answer. Can you please help me find her?"

Taking pity on the child, Zack smiled. "Sure! Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find her!"

A light sparked in the child's eyes. "R-really?! Thank you, mister!"

The SOLDIER grinned. "You're welcome! And my name is Zack, by the way. I'm a SOLDIER 2nd Class and hero-in-training!"

The boy seemed to doubt the "hero-in-training" part but edged a smile regardless. "Uh, well Mister Zack, I'm Daniel but people close to me call me Danny."

"Well Danny, there's no need to worry anymore. I'll make sure I find your sister and bring her to you safely. What's her name?" The 2nd's warm voice queried.

"Lorie. Lorie Frost."

"Right 'o, let's go find Lorie Frost!" Zack cheered.

* * *

**Autumn**

The train screeched to a halt, jerking her forward a little and snapping her out of her little nap.

Trying to clear away the cobwebs in her head, she stood and groggily exited the locomotive. She waved away the steam emanating from the train without success as she walked down the train station platform.

Autumn weaved her way through the various trash and debris littering the ground in the Sector 5 slums. An occasional passerby would glance at her but say nothing. And, thanks to her small experience in the slums she knew to keep her valuable items close.

So, when some random kid bumped into her, apologized, and quickly ran away, she smirked as he groaned in disappointment seeing how he got a rock instead of a wad of cash.

"Autumn?!"

She paused, finding the voice familiar but not fully identifiable. A young woman from the Leaf Orphanage approached her. The orphanage happened to be on the way to Elmyra's house, so there was really no avoiding it.

"Oh, Beth. Hey, how are things here?"

Annabeth was a year younger than her and used to play with her and Aerith when they were kids. During her annual visits back home, she'd stop by and eventually learned that Annabeth was one of the orphans from the orphanage. Ever since, she'd visit for her friends, though she didn't know how to handle the kids and didn't really like interacting with them. Somehow, they still adored her for whatever reason.

"Pretty good! Biggs stopped by recently asking about you, ya know."

The pretty redhead winked at her. Autumn groaned. Biggs was only a few years older than her, around Zack's age, and he also grew up in the orphanage with Annabeth, as well as many other kids, including his bestie Wedge. He was an awkward teen but had a good heart, and seemed to have a crush on her.

She'd never reciprocated his feelings, though she felt a great amount of respect for him and how he took care of the others at the orphanage.

"What'd you tell him?"

"That I hadn't seen hair nor hide of you. You kinda just disappeared there for a few years. He's been worried."

"He's always worried about _something_."

"C'mon, when are you gonna answer him? He's pretty cute and a sweetheart to boot!"

"Beth, I don't have time for romance. Besides... there's someone else I like."

"Oooh! Do tell!" she squealed, excitement glittering in her dark blue eyes.

"Can't, I'm about to visit Mom and Aerith. Have they been okay?"

"Hmm, well, Aerith stopped hanging out with us a while back, but you know that already. She drops by regularly to check up on the kids and see if we need anything. She even gives us flowers for free! I wish we'd stayed friends, but... well, anyway, Miss Gainsborough has been well! Promise you'll stop by again and not drop off the radar for another three years? We all miss you!"

"I can't promise anything; my job has... a lot of uncertainties."

"Oh?"

"Look, I've really gotta go, but it's been nice seeing you again. Tell the kids I said hi."

"Of course, since you're too dang awkward to tell them yourself. Honestly, I don't get why you don't like kids."

She shrugged, waved the redhead goodbye, and hurried past to the lovely, isolated home of her family.

Finally, after much walking, Autumn arrived at Elmyra's house.

Smiling at the tranquil scene before her, she stopped to close her eyes and breathe in the aromatic scent of the many flowers surrounding the maroon-tiled roof house and nearby areas. The rush of the waterfall in the background filled her ears, adding to the relaxing atmosphere.

The brunette couldn't help but notice how much crisper and fresher the air was here than in any other part of the slums. It was most likely due to the plethora of flowers and the waterfall - which was a no-brainer - but still, she was glad her adopted mother and Aerith didn't have to live with their lungs full of smog all of these years.

Suddenly feeling her nerves get to her, Autumn summoned up her courage to march up to the house, where Aerith was standing waiting for her. She grew up, that was for sure.

Her height was about an inch less than her own, her face slim and smooth as porcelain. The 1st's sister was definitely gorgeous. And she'd missed the years between. Well, the past few years, anyway.

She gasped in surprise at her appearance.

"Sis, you... you look so different! Your eyes... they're..."

"Glowing blue? I know," Autumn directed her gaze downward at her feet.

Even though she had been expecting this since Aerith was probably in denial that she was a SOLDIER - even though they'd spoken over the phone about how she ended the war in Wutai - it didn't prevent the guilt she carried to creep out or the hurt that her sister might fear her emerge a bit.

"But, I'm still the same flower-loving, overprotective twin sister you knew before I left!" Autumn urged with false cheerfulness.

Her fears and worries continued to clutter her mind, leaving her to wonder if this was such a good idea after all.

"I'm sorry about not being able to see you at all, but with the Turks constantly surveilling you, I couldn't help but think I'd get caught... are you sure Tseng isn't watching? 'Cause if he is then-"

Her words were cut off when Aerith glomped onto her in a tight hug. Autumn instinctively wrapped her arms around her, relief instantly washing over her that she didn't cower away in fear or turn away and slam the door in her face in shame.

"I'm so happy to see you again!" The brunette heard her murmur.

She smiled warmly. "Yeah. I'm happy to see you too, Aerith."

Breaking the embrace, Aerith stepped back to fold her arms with a finger tapping her chin as she stared at her sister. A slight frown donned her features.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, Autumn looked at her quizzically.

"What is it, Aerith?"

Suddenly she broke out a warm smile with her emerald eyes sparkling excitedly.

"You've gotten so pretty! I just... had to see if you're really my sister!" She laughed lightly, making the 1st's cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Thanks. But if anything, you're ten times prettier than me."

It was true. Aerith looked like an angel with her light brown hair twisted behind her, glowing fair skin and beautiful green eyes. Sure her frame was a bit lanky, but in a way, she also appeared slender.

Out of the two of them, Aerith had always been the better half. The beautiful, sweet, cheerful twin who could get anyone to fall in love with her without even trying or realizing it. Autumn didn't envy her for it; rather, it made her want to protect her even more. If anything, she sometimes felt inferior, but she never blamed her sister. She blamed herself and her shortcomings.

"Oh please," She huffed, waving a hand dismissively. "How about this: We've both gotten really pretty. I mean, our faces are nearly the same anyways."

Autumn shrugged, scuffling her feet a bit. "... fine."

"Well, come on in! It's your house too, you know," Aerith grinned while retreating into the lovely house.

Hesitantly following her, the brunette glanced around the interior of the home she hadn't lived in for years. It really hadn't changed much. Everything was as homey and organized as when she left it, with a lingering scent of Elmyra's wonderful baking.

"Sit down! I'll make you some tea," Her twin smiled again, busying herself to preparing the kettle and the teacups.

Autumn frowned. "Where's Mom?"

"She's out buying groceries. When I told her you were coming to visit she started fretting about things like dinner and decided to prepare some of your favorite dishes." Aerith giggled, setting the kettle full of water onto the stove.

The brunette chuckled. "That sounds like Mom."

Her twin walked over to sit down across from her at the table. "Yeah, well... she's missed you a lot. We both have."

"I know, and I'm so sorry I couldn't contact either of you," Autumn dropped her head in guilt.

"Oh, no, it's not your fault! I mean, Shinra was always trying to pinpoint your location, and they came by several times to see if I knew where you were. I'm glad you didn't tell me, or else I'm sure they would've found out sooner or later. I'm just... we're relieved you're safe. To be honest, I didn't really think you'd make it to SOLDIER, but... I guess I was wrong."

Uh-oh... this wasn't sounding good. Her sister had always been a pacifist at heart, and always disliked the idea of her going out and killing things. She was so pure; too pure for the corrupted world they lived in. 

Aerith's smile faltered. "The thing is, well, I don't really like SOLDIER. They just seem so... bloodthirsty. And when Sakura Gains suddenly showed up as the first girl to be in SOLDIER, I knew it was you. I could tell just by looking at you. I was so surprised, I didn't know what to think."

Autumn raised an eyebrow, staring at her sister with hesitance. "And... what do you think now?"

She looked back at her with an unreadable expression.

"I want you to quit SOLDIER."


	12. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins argue, and Elmyra comes back from a shopping spree. Autumn is overjoyed to see the woman who took her and Aerith in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the earlier confusion! I must've been half-conscious when I uploaded a copy of chapter 3 for chapter 12, haha. Thank you the_enchanted_mind for commenting and letting me know!

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII Crisis Core.**

_"I'll never stop dreaming that one day we can be a real family, together, all of us laughing and talking, loving and understanding, not looking at the past but only to the future." -_LaToya Jackson

* * *

**Zack**

"Sooo... the last place your sister went was to go shopping, right?" The SOLDIER 2nd Class asked, walking in the direction of the Sector Five slums with the boy.

"Yup," Danny answered, bobbing his head a bit in response.

"Then why're we going to the slums?"

He had to pull out some cash to give a cab in order to make it down to the train station and walk all the way down to Sector Six. Zack wasn't sure if he even wanted to know how the kid was able to pay for cab fare.

"'Cause we live in the slums. Plus, everything is cool but cheap at the marketplace here. Above the plate, things look like they'll wear out in a few days and cost, like, a million gil or something," The little boy explained, stopping in front of the gate to the marketplace with Zack, acting as his guide.

The ravenette supposed it made sense now, especially considering the kid didn't look like he came from above the plate.

His clothes were simple, with a t-shirt and somewhat ragged jeans complete with worn-out sneakers that still somehow managed to hang on another day without falling apart.

They were dull colors, too, much like many of the clothes the people below the plate wore, he noticed. They were either naturally dull or the color had worn away long ago. It was a little depressing.

"Oh yeah, make sure you don't keep your wallet in your pants pockets," Danny warned, glancing at him.

Zack cocked his head. "Why's that?"

"Unlike the upper plates, the people down here struggle to get by every day. So some kids wanna help out to get more money, and, well..."

"They become pickpockets?"

The boy nodded somberly. "It's not like they're bad or anything, they just hate being helpless. Even medicine is difficult to get sometimes, depending on what their parents do for a living."

A loud grinding caught their attention as the gates slowly drew back to allow the two inside.

"Well, I can understand that. But still, thanks for the warning. I'm pretty sure I'd get robbed and realize it too late if you didn't," Zack grinned, pulling out his wallet and stuffing it into his pauldron.

Danny stared at him strangely. "That's... an odd place to put it, Mister SOLDIER."

"I told you before, call me Zack. And it's fine, I'm gonna place it back in my pockets once we're away from all of the pickpockets! Don't judge me."

"Sure thing, Mister SOLDIER."

"Ugh!" Zack threw up his arms in exasperation, both at how the kid was clearly judging him and his refusal to call him by his first name.

They entered the marketplace, where the ravenette was surprised to find it swarming with people and buzzing with activity despite the odd smells and lack of sunshine.

"Is it always this busy?"

"No, not usually. There must be a major sale or something."

"So, let's ask around and see if anybody here has seen your sister. With all of the people here, someone must have spotted her," Zack told him, his eyes gleaming with determination.

The little boy nodded. "Right."

Before they parted ways, agreeing to meet up in front of the gate when they were done, Zack had requested a brief description from Danny about Lorie to relay onto whoever he was asking for information on her. Once he did, they got to work.

He tapped the shoulder of a pretty young woman in a slightly worn maroon dress, who happened to be the closest person for him to start questioning. "Um, excuse me, Miss?"

She turned around to face him, a frown evident on her face. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The ravenette tried to stay focused, but couldn't help admire her beauty. He mentally cursed his womanizing ways.

"Yeah, I'm trying to help a kid find his older sister. Her name is Lorie. She's about this tall," He measured with his hands. "And has dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Have you seen her around here?"

"Hmm... I'm sorry but I can't recall seeing anyone with that description. It's just so busy here today. She might've been here, but I wouldn't know. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a major sale and I want to be able to get something before it's all gone."

She then pushed her way through the crowd to a nearby store.

The 2nd Class sighed. "Oh. Thanks anyway."

He tried asking several more people but ended up with the same, disappointing results. Stopping to take a small break, the ravenette sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Man, this is harder than I thought."

Remembering to rendezvous with Danny, he meandered over to the gates, spotting the currently distraught boy once he arrived.

"Danny? What's wrong little man?" The 2nd Class questioned, bending down to his level.

"A-a man said he saw Lorie..."

"Really?! That's great! Where is she?"

"H-he said that... that she was taken to... to..."

The boy's lower lip quivered. Zack was starting to worry. In the short amount of time they'd gotten to know each other, Danny didn't seem the type to fall apart so easily.

"To where? Where is she?"

Tears dripped down his face as he choked out an answer. "She was taken to Don Corneo."

"Huh? Who's Don Corneo?"

_'This dude sounds like a bad enough guy if hearing Lorie got taken to him makes Danny this upset,'_ he mused, hoping it wasn't _too_ serious.

"Don Corneo is a pervert in Sector 6 that... rounds up women and... and..." he trailed off, but Zack got the idea as a horrified expression crossed onto his face.

"What? Wait, why was he in Sector 5 if he lives in Sector 6?"

"The g-guy said th-that some suspicious-looking people b-bumped into Lorie, and asked her if... if she wanted a job. Th-they said it pays well, and in the end they... they managed to talk her into agreeing. Jobs are hard to come by, so I'm sure Lorie jumped at the chance...

"It must've been some of Corneo's goons, 'cause the guy also told me that they were taking her to their boss in Sector 6... I'm guessing they were in the area for some supplies or something..."

Zack placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll get your sister back."

Danny looked up in shock. "W-what? You're gonna go and barge into _Don Corneo's _place?! That's crazy! He has his goons covering just about every inch!"

"Hey, I'm a SOLDIER remember? I'll be fine, and I'll make sure to bring your sister back safe and sound!"

Growing a small smile, Daniel nodded. "Thanks, Mister Zack."

'Mister Zack' made a frowny face at the new way he was addressed. Well, it was a step up from 'Mister SOLDIER'.

The boy before him wiped at his eyes, then looked up at him with squared shoulders and a stern face.

"But make sure you don't screw up, or Corneo's men will beat you into next week!"

The 2nd Class scowled. "Yeah right! There's no way I'd get beaten by such lowlifes! Trust me, it's gonna be the other way around."

He stood, did a fist pump, and started to exit the Slums Market.

"Wait right here! I'll bring Lorie back in no time!" Zack sent the boy a thumbs up, dashing out to Sector 6.

_'Man, if only Autumn could see me now! I'll make sure to tell her about this later!'_

* * *

**Autumn's POV**

_"I want you to quit SOLDIER."_

Those words replayed through my mind, leaving me stunned.

As I tried to gather my thoughts, Aerith continued to speak.

"I... know you might not agree, but it's hard to just watch you run off into danger and war. Mom and I keep worrying and wondering if you'll make it back safely. I don't think Mom can take the stress any longer. We miss you, and, well... I just don't see how what you're doing is worth it. I'm grateful that you wanna do this for me, but I just want my sister back."

I gripped the china cup tighter, struggling to suppress my strength in order to avoid shattering the fragile thing and spilling scalding hot tea onto my hand.

"I... understand, where you're coming from, Aer. I really do," I began, pursing my lips. "But... it's not that simple. I can't just walk out of SOLDIER and forget it ever happened. That's completely unrealistic."

I accidentally let my tone slip, a harsh edge leaking out as I spoke.

My sister gazed at me with hurt shining in her green eyes. It made me wince in regret.

"I wanted to return here so badly. You have no idea how much I thought about leaving," I admitted. "But things have changed. I haven't gotten around to researching yet, and I just became a 1st Class. Besides, the SOLDIER members... you might not understand, but they've become more than just enemies. In fact, they're quite the opposite now. They're not mindless, bloodthirsty freaks that want to kill every chance they get. They actually believe working for Shinra is a good thing, Aerith.

"It's not that they're evil, it's just that Shinra is good at covering up what they do and lying. If I could just get enough evidence to prove how terrible Shinra is, then maybe some of them will desert the company. But that has to come later. I need to dig up what I can on our heritage, and maybe even find out who our father is... or was, I don't know."

Aerith shook her head, frustration manifesting in her features. "I don't get it. Why is this so important to you? I just want to be normal, to forget about our Cetra bloodline, and be like everyone else. Why can't you just do the same? Messing with Shinra is like challenging a feral tiger!"

Her free hand, so smooth with delicate, artisan fingers, tightly gripped the side of her chair.

"I know you want to protect us, but we're just so scared you won't come back one day! I'm... I'm afraid I'll lose you, Sis. You and Mom are all I have left," her voice grew extremely soft and quiet to the point that only my enhanced hearing could pick it up.

My features hardened for a moment as I tried to conjure up a solution. How could I reassure her that I'd be safe? I mean... I couldn't. Not honestly, and she always knew when I was lying. I did run - literally - at people shooting at me for a living.

Well, this was a fine pickle. I hated tense situations; never knew how to deal with them. Aerith made a lot of good points, as always. It wasn't like I'd never thought about booking it out of HQ, preferably leaving it behind in flames, but after everything I'd been through, I couldn't just quit before I got what I wanted out of it.

Sighing, I finally found the words for a reply. "Okay. Seeing it from your point of view, I can see how terrifying it must be to watch me head off into battle with the lingering possibility that I might not come back."

She locked eyes with me, a small spark of hope igniting in her colorful irises.

"But hey, it's not like I'm inexperienced or anything! I'm a 1st, it's not like I'm gonna go stupidly charging at hundreds of gunners with nothing but my sword. Try to have a little faith," I teased, sending her into a flustered state.

"No, of course I believe in you! But, I just..."

"Hang on, I'm not done talking. I'm too stubborn to die that easily, you know that. And even if I did, I'd make the Goddess herself bring me back to life if I had to. I won't leave you alone, Aer. That's the last thing I want. But this research is important to me. I need answers," I averted my eyes from my sister for a moment.

"What's so special about the Cetra that Shinra wants to capture us against our will? What're they capable of? Those are the kinds of questions I've asked myself over and over again. And what if they were really powerful? We might accidentally hurt someone if we don't learn how to control whatever powers we might have."

My points made her fall silent.

"It's better to know about this stuff than be ignorant about it. That's why I can't walk away.

A flicker of surprise entered Aerith's expressive eyes.

"So please, don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing - and I think I've actually started to like my job a bit."

Aerith looked away sadly. "Don't you... regret it? At all? Killing... capturing people...all of that stuff?"

"Of course I do - I regret it every day, Aerith. It haunts me in my dreams, every time I close my eyes. And for the record, we don't capture people. Well, we did a couple of times, but it's not a usual thing.

"We also save people, and I try to save as many as I can. Besides, it's not like torturing myself over people I've killed helps them in any way. All I can do is hope there are fewer casualties next time."

"Why can't you just walk away? Walk away from it all and prevent more deaths, more killing?" My sister pressed.

"It's not that simple!" I snapped, my patience thinning. "I can't walk away! I want to; I want to so badly, but it's not as simple as just packing up my things and taking off! SOLDIERs handle highly classified information. Two 1sts have already gone rogue, one of them being my mentor.

"If I leave now, Shinra will just send people out to either reign me back in or eliminate me, and that's no better than exposing my identity and running from the Turks. And I haven't had the opportunity to start researching yet. I need _time_, Aerith. Do you understand?"

Aerith's face turned slightly red: something that only happened when she was really getting mad. Crap, I knew I should've just slapped myself or something to shut myself up.

"What's the POINT?! All of this, just for _research_? I don't care about our abilities, I don't care about our heritage, just leave things alone and get out! Get out of SOLDIER while you still can. I'm scared, Sis - so, _so scared_.

"Every day, I wake up wondering if I'll hear about your death on the news or the radio. Maybe even from Tseng - he probably knows by now anyway, right? I'm trying to be strong - for myself, for you, and for mom - but it's hard! I'm not as confident as you yet, okay? I'm still mustering up enough self-confidence to believe that I can hang in there. I-_we _need you-"

"And I'm _telling_ you that it's more complicated than just getting out!"

She pressed her lips together in a thin line, which apparently she got from me, considering I did it all the time when I was thinking or upset.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Aerith, dear, can you please come open the door? My arms are full of groceries."

Sharing a glance with Aerith, she nodded.

"Coming Mom!" She called, but I went to the door instead.

Swinging the door open, I wrapped my arms around her. "Mom!"

Startled, she stepped backward. "Oh, goodness! Autumn, is that you?!"

Pulling away and grabbing handfuls of groceries from her, I smiled. "Surprise! I'm sorry... about everything. We didn't really get to know each other as you did with Aerith, but... in the small time we spent together, I grew to consider you my Mom. I'm sorry I couldn't contact you. Don't hit me!"

There was a pause, then an audible, frustrated sigh.

"I understand, dear. If you were caught by Shinra, then all of your efforts would go to waste. I'm just glad you could be here tonight. And don't worry, I think all of the Turks are busy with a different matter since none of them followed me here," She told me with a proud smile.

Surprised, I gazed at her quizzically. "And since when have you known how to spot a tail without them noticing? Especially the Turks for that matter?"

Mom chuckled. "Between your annual visits over the years, Aerith taught me how. Besides, the Turks aren't very subtle."

"True, true."

We entered the house, chatting as we did so. I placed the bags onto the table and started helping Mom make dinner, despite her protests.

"Dear, you're a guest! I'm fine here, so just sit down."

"And do what? Smell the food to torture me? I'd rather just help make it if that's the case." I grinned, chopping up vegetables to place in bowls.

"You never listen once you've made up your mind," Mom sighed, "Just like Aerith."

Aerith had gone to the church to water the flowers. I decided to stay; I knew her other reason for leaving was to cool off. Our argument left us both frustrated.

"Besides, I like cooking. How do you think I survive living in an apartment by myself nowadays?" I smirked, getting out the ingredients for my creole chicken pasta recipe, as well as some of my favorite foods; one of them being steak.

Mmm... _steak_. When was the last time I had a nice, thoroughly cooked, seasoned slab of meat? Apparently far too long, because I was almost drooling already.

"Also, my best friend from Nibelheim's father owns a bar/restaurant, and I used to help out a lot. It was actually fun, learning how to cook."

Mom paused, turned, and stared at me with an intensity I only knew from past interactions with Turks. "Did you just say a bar? Any decent parent would know to _never_ let their children anywhere near a bar! Did you ever get assaulted? What was her father's name again? If I ever get my hands on him-"

"Mom, Mom, calm down! It wasn't like that! I didn't get near any of the drunks or anything, I just helped out in the back making food and serving meals. Master never would've allowed it, you know that." I defended, waving my hands.

Weell, there _was_ that one time Tifa and I snuck into the bar to learn how to mix some drinks behind Mr. Lockhart's back, but she didn't need to know that. Neither did Master. Nor the fact that it wasn't exactly just one time.

"I suppose you're right... but I also know how kids can be. If I ever find out you got assaulted or got anywhere near the alcohol, you'll be in for an earful and then some, you hear me young lady?"

I stiffened, nodding my head fervently. "Yes, Ma'am!"

With that settled, we kept on cooking.

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Hmm? What is it, Sweetie?"

"Nothing. It's just that this feels nice, that's all. Being back with you and Aerith," I shrugged, smiling to myself.

Mom smiled back, bringing me into a warm hug. "Aw sweetie, it's nice being back with you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all staying safe while the craziness continues. Keep wearing masks and gloves, and BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER


End file.
